'Childhood Dream Came True' as Tony G's Horse Wins Australian Horse Race for A$4.5 Million
Antanas Guoga, more affectionately known as Tony G in the poker world, experienced some success off the felt this week when the horse that he part owns, Half Yours, won the 2025 Melbourne Cup in Australia.
The win paid out A$4.5 million in what was the 165th running of the country's biggest and most famous horse race. Tony G, who was born in Lithuania but moved to Australia at age 11, wrote on X that his "childhood dream came true" by winning the Melbourne Cup.
"Very proud to have won the Melbourne cup with our horse Half Yours!" the poker player tweeted.
There were some interesting storylines involving the race, including the winning jockey, Jamie Melham, becoming just the second female jockey to win the Great Race. Michelle Payne was the first woman to win it 10 years ago.
"Welcome to the club," Payne told Melham following the race.
What a Day for the Poker Legend
Melham defeated her husband, Ben Melham, whose horse, Smokin' Romans, finished in 14th place. The victorious jockey suffered a near-fatal fall in March 2023 when she fell off her horse during a separate race. She overcame a brain bleed and spent days in an induced coma.
Half Yours, the No. 14 horse, was stuck in the middle of the pack through much of the race, while Land Legend (No. 11) busted out to a six-lengths lead. But Half Yours stepped it up down the home stretch to win the Melbourne Cup by three lengths over Goodie Two Shoes (No. 20).
Tony G, a guest on PokerNews' Life Outside Poker podcast last year, also owns a piece of another horse in the field, Al Riffa (No. 1), one of the favorites. The Lithuanian poker legend and former European Parliament member continues to have success off the felt. He was captured in a viral TikTok video earlier this year informing an influencer that he made $100 million in a year.
The former Lithuanian politician who founded PokerNews in 2002 has $11.3 million in live poker tournament cashes, according to The Hendon Mob. He's also appeared in some of the biggest cash games in the world, many times on livestreams such as Hustler Casino Live and Triton Poker. Tony G was a prominent figure on televised poker shows during the 2000s, often trash talking his opponents, notably Phil Hellmuth. His resume now includes Melbourne Cup champion.
