Former Cambridge trainer Sheila Laxon notched up her second Melbourne Cup victory today – 23 years after her first when Ethereal won the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double.
Knight’s Choice ridden by Irish jockey Robbie Dolan won the Cup in an amazing finish paying $63.50 on the New Zealand TAB for the win. Second was Warp Speed and Okita Soushi was third.
The best placed New Zealand horse was Sharp ‘N’ Smart in 16th, who beat fellow kiwis Trust in You and Cambridge’s own Positivity which finished a positively fourth from last.
Sheila Laxon and her co-trainer, husband John Symons, train on the Sunshine Coast.
She told Channel Nine they had always been confident despite Knight’s Choice’s outsider status.
“He did, he did. He started the race, and he knew how to ride him. We didn’t give him instructions, he knew what to do,” she said.
“I love it being down for the Australians. The Australian horse has done it, and Robbie is Australian now as well, so I’m thrilled to win the Cup, and it is the people’s Cup, and that’s what it is all about.”
Sheila came to Cambridge in the early 1980s and married the late Laurie Laxon who trained Empire Rose to win the 1988 Melbourne Cup.
Sheila, who won the Cambridge Jockey Club apprentice of the year, was seriously injured in a race fall and turned to training in 1997. Four years later she trained Ethereal to victory in the Cup. She moved to Australia the following year – after separating from her husband – and was again severely injured in a fall from a horse. She did not resume training again until 2006.
Knight’s Choice (inside) winning the Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington. Photo: Bruno Cannatelli
By Joshua Smith, LoveRacing.NZ News Desk
Sheila Laxon won her first Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) in 2001 with New Zealand mare Ethereal for Sir Peter and Phillip Vela, and 23 years later she has got her hands on the most coveted prize in Australasian racing once more, courtesy of Knight’s Choice.
Jumping from barrier five, jockey Robbie Dolan elected to ride Knight’s Choice conservatively and tucked him away off the pace at the rear of the field. The son of Extreme Choice had an economical trip throughout and wasn’t called upon until turning into Flemington’s famed straight.
Knight’s Choice had a wall of horses in front of him, but Dolan was able to navigate a path through the pack and Knight’s Choice responded to his urgings in the concluding stages, hitting the front with 50m to go and was able to hold out the late challenge of Warp Speed to take out the A$8.6 million feature.
Laxon, who now trains in partnership with John Symons on the Sunshine Coast, was rapt to win her second Melbourne Cup and was full of praise for Dolan’s ride.
“We didn’t give him any instructions, he just knew what to do,” she said. “I am thrilled to win the Cup and it’s the people’s Cup, and that is what it is all about.”
With victory, Laxon maintained her 100 percent winning record in the race.
“I better stop there (two from two),” she quipped.
Dolan now boasts an identical strike-rate to his winning trainer, with Tuesday’s ride being his first in the time-honoured race for the ex-pat Irish jockey.
“This is the biggest race in the world and winning it is incredible. I think I will be singing for the rest of my life after that,” said Dolan, who competed on the 11th season of The Voice Australia.
Dolan had watched extensive replays of previous editions of the Melbourne Cup and said he went into the race with a plan to ride Knight’s Choice conservatively, relying on his turn of foot in the concluding stages, and he was delighted that is vision came to fruition.
“I watched every Melbourne Cup for the last 40 years the other night and I thought my best chance was to get him to stay the trip and hopefully he can rattle home and put up the good sectionals he can do on a Good track, and he proved everyone wrong,” he said.
“I have never ridden in this race before, so I didn’t know what to expect. It feels like I have ridden it 10 times because I have run the race over in my head before I got here, and it panned out exactly as I thought it would.
“I decided to ride him for luck because I knew he has got a good turn of foot.”
Knight’s Choice paid $63.50 on the tote with the TAB, and Dolan was thrilled they were able to belie those odds and critics alike.
“Sheila and John were so confident in this horse, even before he got to this race. A lot of people doubted them, and I didn’t,” Dolan said. “I really liked his run the other day at Bendigo, he hit the line really well and was unlucky not to be placed.”
To add to the occasion, Dolan was able to record the biggest win in his career in front of his young family, and Dad, who was visiting from Ireland.
“I woke up Sunday morning and came down to the kitchen and he (Dad) was standing in the kitchen,” Dolan said. “To win it with him here and my daughter Maisie and partner Christine (was amazing).” – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
8am 5 November
Trainer Andrew Forsman will carry Cambridge’s only hope in today’s Melbourne Cup with Positivity following the withdrawal of Mahrajaan and champion jockey James McDonald missing out on a ride because of his weight.
Positivity (centre) winning the Gr.3 MRC Foundation Cup (2000m). Photo: Bruno Cannatelli
Positivity, usually trained in Cambridge, has been at Forsman’s Flemington stables through the spring.
The mare is at long odds paying $71 at the start of today. It has drawn barrier 20 with New Zealander Winona Costin the jockey who is hoping to emulate Michelle Payne, who was the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup nine years ago on Prince of Penzance.
Positivity’s connections confirmed her start despite the horse missing the Caulfield Cup with a slight hoof issue.
“I can’t wait to get out there,” the 30-year-old told Australian media.
“It has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid, and the dream is coming true,” said Costin.
“I think she is a really good chance, Positivity. I think she’ll get the trip, no dramas.”
Positivity is a thoroughbred horse born in New Zealand in 2020 by Almanzor (France) out of Pussy O’reilly (NZ). She is owned by Hong Kong’s Ben Kwok, now based in Singapore, who breeds thoroughbreds in both New Zealand and Australia.
Kwok’s emerald green, pink and white colours also include Bellacontte and Wessex, while he is also a part-owner of the now Chris Waller-trained New Zealand 1000 Guineas winner Molly Bloom.
McDonald has been left without a ride following Cox Plate winner Via Sistina’s withdrawal. The 32-year-old rides at 55kg and has made only rare exceptions riding under that weight.
This is what Fox Sports has to say about Positivity.
FOR: Hardy New Zealand mare who has sometimes looked like an out-and-out stayer who’ll run all day, such as when seventh in The Bart Cummings (G3 2520m) here on October 5. Has won to 2500m. Competent trainer in Andrew Forsman.
AGAINST: While her Bart Cummings run was encouraging, she reversed it last start when a fading eighth in the Moonee Valley Cup (2500m). Hard to have her on that, and then she’s gone and drawn gate 20. She’s also a 4yo mare (Read Zardozi), and she’s no Makybe Diva. Or Zardozi. Has a wide gate, but then again, it’s had a few winners including Cross Counter in 2018.
Saturday November 2
The New Zealand contingent for Tuesday’s Gr.1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) has been dealt a blow with the withdrawal of Mahrajaan on veterinary advice.
Mahrajaan is out of the Melbourne Cup.
The Shaune Ritchie and Colm Murray-trained gelding earned his shot at the A$8.5 million showpiece with his victories in last season’s Gr.2 Auckland Cup (3200m) and Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m), but Racing Victoria stewards have ruled him out after their independent imaging panel deemed the seven-year-old to be at heightened risk of injury.
“It’s obviously a big disappointment for us and the owners,” Ritchie said. “Who doesn’t want to have a runner in the Melbourne Cup? And we know our horse runs a strong two miles, so it’s a tough one to swallow.
“But we’re philosophical and we respect the vets’ decision. At the end of the day, we’re horse lovers first and we want our horse to be safe and healthy.
“I’ll go in on Monday and they’ll take me through the results of their imaging and the exact reasons for their decision. Apparently they detected a small issue in a sesamoid, which hasn’t been picked up in X-rays we’ve done on the horse in the past. Their imaging is very high-tech and thorough, so it’ll be a good opportunity for me to see all the bells and whistles that they’ve got. It’ll give me a better understanding, so that if we come back next year, we’ll have a bit more information.
“Our owners are all on the same page. The horse has been so good to us, and the last thing we want is for him to be in any danger. We’ve got to respect the fact that if they found something they consider to be heightened risk, he shouldn’t be running in the race.”
Ritchie now hopes to prepare Mahrajaan for a defence of his Auckland Cup title on Champions Day at Ellerslie in March.
“He’s on a plane home on Wednesday night, and then we’ll give him a good break,” the Cambridge trainer said.
“Once we bring him back into work, and subject to vets’ advice, we can work towards having another crack at the Auckland Cup.”
Mahrajaan’s withdrawal leaves three New Zealand-trained runners in the Melbourne Cup field – Team Rogerson’s Sharp ‘N’ Smart, the Andrew Forsman Cambridge-trained Positivity, and the Bruce Wallace and Grant Cookely runner Trust In You.
31 October
Cambridge trainers Shaune Ritchie, Colm Murray and Andrew Forsman were all waiting on how their horses Mahrajaan and Positivity had recovered from injuries this week before deciding whether to take their place in the Melbourne Cup.
Mahrajaan.
And champion Kaipaki jockey James McDonald, who rode his 100th group one winner on Via Sistina in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley – and promptly got fined for his efforts – is hoping the speedy horse’s connections confirm entry into the Cup.
There has already been plenty of drama leading up to the $9 million race at Flemington Racecourse in Australia next Tuesday.
Ritchie and Murray scratched Mahrajaan from the rich Moonee Valley Gold Cup last week after a spider bit the thoroughbred at his Warrnambool base. Mahrajaan, who races under the United States flag, was left with a “leg that’s blown up”.
A scan confirmed it was not a ligament issue and “with all insect bites, they take a little bit of time to get the swelling out”.
Positivity (centre) winning the Gr.3 MRC Foundation Cup (2000m). Photo: Bruno Cannatelli
Forsman scratched Positivity from the Caulfield Cup when she had bruising in a foot after an early morning gallop. She then came last at the weekend in the Moonee Valley Cup won by fellow Kiwi horse Sharp ‘N’ Smart.
McDonald, who is due to have his name added to Cambridge’s Walk of Fame after The News’ editor Roy Pilott nominated him, copped a $2000 fine for celebrating too early on seven year old Irish mare Via Sistina.
She was so far ahead – eight lengths, in what is traditionally a close appetiser to the Melbourne Cup – that McDonald had time to stand in the irons and pose for a photo before the finish line.
Four New Zealand horses were still in contention when the barrier draw was made on Tuesday. Positivity, Sharp ‘N’ Smart, Kovalica and Trust in You. There could have been a fifth – Mark Twain, trained in Cambridge by Roger James and Robert Wellwood – earned automatic qualification when he won the ballot exempt Listed Roy Higgins in Melbourne earlier this year. But he was ruled out in August of spring racing with a tendon strain.
James McDonald after winning the Lexus Melbourne Cup aboard Verry Elleegant (NZ) at Flemington Racecourse on November 02, 2021 in Flemington, Australia. (Reg Ryan/Racing Photos)
