Laxon Wins Hoysted Award
- Tuesday, 01 October 2002 00:00
Caulfield and Melbourne Cup-winning trainer
Sheila Laxon has won the 2002 Fred Hoysted Award for the outstanding training performance
in Victoria during the 2001/2002 season.
The "40-something" New Zealander polled 78 votes to defeat Fred Kersley (47 votes) and Brian Mayfield-Smith (35 votes) when Australasias training heavyweights were honoured tonight as part of the Spring Racing Carnival gala celebration at Crown Palladium.
The award is named in honour of the late Fred Hoysted who won the Victorian Trainers Premiership a record 17 times and was recently inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame.
Sheila Laxon won the award for her marvellous achievements with the brilliant mare Ethereal, which took out the double of the Carlton Draught Caulfield Cup and Tooheys New Melbourne Cup in brilliant style. In doing so, Ethereal became only the third mare to win both Cups in the same year.
Laxon also claimed her place in history by becoming the first woman to train the winner of the race that "stops a nation".
Sheila endeared herself to Melbourne's race
crowds with her ready smile and down-to-earth style and she now becomes only the fifth
winner of Victorian racing's highest award for training.
Laxon was born in Pontypridd, South Wales, and has spent the past 20 years in New Zealand.
Before emigrating, she spent time with the top English trainer John Dunlop, riding work at his base in Arundel, Sussex.
She only took up training a decade ago after she was almost killed in a race fall and spent eight days in a coma, where doctors feared she might never walk again.
Ethereal's dramatic win, ahead of English raiders Give the Slip and Persian Punch, capped Laxon's remarkable recovery, and completed the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double.
"Some people thought I couldn't do it so I'm glad to have vindicated everyone who kept faith in me," said Laxon.
Throughout the 2001/02 racing season, a panel of
18 judges evaluated the most outstanding training performances at race meetings held in
Victoria. At the end of each month, the judges voted - on a 3-2-1 basis - for their choice
for the monthly award.
The final voting for the 2002 Fred Hoysted Award is listed below:
Trainer (Votes)
Sheila Laxon ( 78 )
Fred Kersley ( 47 )
Brian Mayfield-Smith ( 35 )
Lee Freedman ( 23 )
John Wheeler ( 20 )
John Hawkes ( 19 )
Brian Cox ( 11 )
Rick Hore-Lacy ( 8 )
Tony McEvoy ( 7 )
Robert Smerdon ( 5 )
The twelve monthly awards were won by:
Tony Noonan (Aug)
Fred Kersley (Sept)
Fred Kersley (Oct)
Sheila Laxon (Nov)
Brian Cox (Dec)
David Hall (Jan)
Rick Hore-Lacy (Feb)
Brian Mayfield-Smith (Mar)
John Hawkes (Apr)
Eric Musgrove (May)
Robert Smerdon (Jun)
John Wheeler (July)
PICS - Quentin Lang.
Media Release - Racing Victoria