November 2024 – John Symons and Sheila Laxon

In a month where a Queensland stable won the Melbourne Cup, this nominee is a fairly obvious one.

The Sunshine Coast-based team of John Symons and Sheila Laxon won the Melbourne Cup with Knight’s Choice as Queensland-based hoop Robbie Dolan did the steering.

For Laxon, it was her second win in Australia’s greatest handicap race with just her second ever runner.

She also won with Ethereal in 2001.

For John, it was his first ever starter in the race that stops the nation.

Knight’s Choice was certainly a boom horse in Queensland in the early stages of his career after winning the Group 3 Winx Guineas as a three-year-old in dominant fashion.

 

October 2024 – Tony Gollan

The first of two Tony Gollan nominations for this award, it was star galloper Antino who again put on a show for the premier Brisbane trainer. 

The reigning Queensland Horse of the Year smashed his rivals in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap at Caulfield.

The win was fueled by a daring ride from quality hoop Blake Shinn to take over the race in the middle stages and Antino scored by almost seven lengths.

Prior to the Toorak Handicap, the writing was on the wall for Antino in the three Group race lead-up runs against the best horses.

The Toorak Handicap triumph was a fitting response after finishing a close second in the race the year prior.