Antanas “Tony G” Guoga was a big winner away from the poker table last week. The poker player, businessman, and former European Parliament member is the co-owner of a horse that won Australia’s prestigious Melbourne Cup for an AUD $4.5 million ($2.9 million USD) payout.
Guoga co-owns Half Yours, which took the top spot in one of Australia’s biggest horse races. It marked the 165th running of the event and Guoga was expectedly thrilled with the result.
“Childhood dream came true,” he posted on X/Twitter after the result was final. “What a race!”
Half Yours Makes Late Move For Victory
The race featured 24 entries and video of it showed a tight pack of horses running down the backstretch. Then, Half Yours used the inside track to reach the front of the pack with about 300 meters left to the finish line.
The horse, ridden by Jamie Melham, pulled ahead by three lengths before crossing the finish line. Melham became only the second female jockey to win the race.
“This is what we do it for,” she said after the win. “This is why we get up out of bed every morning at 4 a.m. It’s tough. It’s not all glorious and perfect as everyone can see sometimes.”
What a race! https://t.co/I0Sxx93WCx
— Tony G (@TonyGuoga) November 4, 2025
On race day, it rained in the Melbourne area. Thus, Guoga said those conditions improved the horse’s chances. It was a solid prediction as Guoga’s stallion paid off for gamblers.
Guoga also co-owned a separate horse that competed in a different race. Al Riffa finished seventh. Despite the varied results, both of Guoga’s horses were favorites heading into the start of the race.
At the poker tables, Guoga has more than $10 million in gross tournament earnings. He won two short deck titles at the 2021 Super High Roller Bowl Europe for more than $1.5 million.
Guoga is also known to regularly jump in high-stakes cash games. He was involved in a massive cooler in a Triton event that cost him a $1.4 million pot.
Photo courtesy of Tony G’s X/Twitter
