Thank you for visiting our website, which displays the operations of highly successful thoroughbred racehorse trainers:
John Symons and Sheila Laxon ONZM.
We won the 2024 Melbourne Cup!
John and Sheila are thrilled to have won the 2024 Melbourne Cup with Knight’s Choice, repeating Sheila’s 2001 triumph with Ethereal.
We congratulate owners Cameron and Rodney Bain, and Richard and Kaye Waldron, and Robbie Dolan for a truly wonderful ride.
We thank everyone for their ongoing support!
Go the little horse!
John and Sheila are Gr1 winning trainers who made the exciting move to Queensland on the Sunshine Coast in 2016 after very successful careers, both individually and in partnership. Sheila is officially the first female Melbourne Cup winning trainer, with Ethereal completing the Cups double in 2001, whilst John is well known to Queenslanders with his Doomben 10,000 and Blue Diamond Stakes winning exploits with Bel Esprit, the sire of Black Caviar, amongst many other group victories.
Now they have done it again with Knight’s Choice’s magnificent victory in the 2024 Melbourne Cup!
The trainers are loving the Queensland lifestyle, and with John’s eagle eye in selecting young talent at bargain prices, have built a very exciting team of horses for the coming years.
Life is Great in the Sunshine State!
Sheila continues to participate in the Melbourne Cup Tour each year; something we are very proud to support.
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Horses AVAILABLE
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In the news
Stay up to date!
A DOUBLE STYLISH WEEK!
A great week for the mare So Stylish with her 4yo and 3yo offspring both winning for the Symons Laxon stable at Doomben on Wednesday and Eagle Farm yesterday. Firstly, it was smart filly Fashion Flash that was able to chase strongly to reel in the leader to win her...
WE WON THE MELBOURNE CUP!
A dream came true for John and Sheila when Knight's Choice won the 2024 Melbourne Cup with an incredible finishing burst through the pack! The long-term plan came to fruition, when the Extreme Choice gelding finally made it to a dry track at the 3200m distance he had...
GOOD NIGHTIE!
In her first run for the Symons Laxon Racing stable, 4yo mare Lost My Nightie put up a very good performance to win the HUME DOORS Maiden Handicap over 1400m at the Sunshine Coast. Ridden by Samantha Collett, the Defcon mare drew well in barrier 1 and hugged the rail...
Upcoming Runners
| Horse | Date | Time | Race | Track | Fields/Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nominations |
||||||
| Knight's Choice | Apr 12, 2025 | 1 - Queen Elizabeth Stakes [group 1] | Royal Randwick | Field | ||
Recent Winners
| Horse | Date | Race | Track | Margin | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winsome Star | Mar 22, 2025 | 3 - Gotransit Media Group Plate (c1) | Eagle Farm | 2.70 | Jaden Lloyd |
| Fashion Flash | Mar 19, 2025 | 2 - Ladbrokes Calcutta & Luncheon 13 June Mdn Plate | Doomben | 0.90 | R Dolan |
| Lou Vega | Feb 09, 2025 | 1 - Creative Stone Mdn Hcp | Sunshine Coast | 0.10 | S T Collett |
| Knight's Choice | Nov 05, 2024 | 7 - Lexus Melbourne Cup | Flemington | 0.10 | R Dolan |
| Lost My Nightie | Oct 27, 2024 | 4 - Hume Doors Mdn Hcp | Sunshine Coast | 0.50 | S T Collett |
| Lika Wreckin' Ball | Oct 25, 2024 | 2 - Bold Design Kitchens Mdn Plate | Sunshine Coast | 0.80 | R Dolan |
| Whiskey and Beer | Oct 04, 2024 | 4 - Pasg Projects (bm58) | Sunshine Coast | 0.30 | T D Thornton |
| Dealing's Done | Sep 27, 2024 | 4 - Brad Read Design Group Hcp (58) | Sunshine Coast | 1.50 | T D Thornton |
| Mission of Love | Jul 14, 2024 | 5 - Wishlist Caloundra Cup | Sunshine Coast | 0.20 | Angela Jones |
| Thunder Mania | Jun 09, 2024 | 6 - Caloundra Rsl Sub Branch (bm65) | Sunshine Coast | 0.80 | V Duric |
