Sheila Laxon maintains perfect strike-rate in Melbourne Cup

Sheila Laxon won her first Group 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).”

Photo: James Ross, AAP/Photosport