Mare with a famous name wins her maiden race

A trotting mare named after New Zealand galloping trainer Sheila Laxon, (Muscle Mass) won her first race at the Ashburton Harness Racing Club meeting today.

The race was run in two divisions with five horses trotting away from the remainder of the field which never got close to the front bunch.

With a lap to run Tioga Pass improved and Sheila Laxon and driver Kimberly Butt got onto his back. Tioga Pass went straight to the lead, leaving Shelia Laxon parked.

“Kim said she relaxed better once she was in clear air rather than following one,” said Tim White who trains the mare in partnership with his father Brent.

Shelia Laxon went down to the line to win by a length and a quarter from Tioga Pass.

“Kim said she felt like she had another gear left.”

SHELIA LAXON REPLAY

Brent bought Shelia Laxon who was unnamed at that point, at the 2022 Yearling Sales for just $16,000 and Neil Pierce, Chris Hindson, Dallas Woodford, Bruce Harper, Peter Chalmers and Aaron Allred were put into the ownership.

“These guys had shown interest before the sales. We put the idea together of buying two. One pacer and one trotter. Shards Matrix was the pacer and this girl was the trotter.”

Shelia Laxon is out of Monarchy mare Ethereal who’s a full sister to Sheemon the winner of nineteen.

Her dam Solar Fire won fourteen races and was a star three year old. She won the Northern Trotting Derby, New Zealand Derby, Victoria Trotters Oaks and Victoria Trotters Derby and she was Three Year Old Trotting Filly of the Year in 1997/98.

The galloper Ethereal, which was trained by Shelia Laxon, won the 2001 Melbourne Cup.

“Bruce and Neil had a talk and came up with the idea of asking Sheila Laxon if they could name the horse after her. They got in contact with her and she agreed. Neil still gets emails from her,” Tim said.

Shelia Laxon qualified as a two year old on her home track of Ashburton in October 2023.

“She was going to race at two but put her leg through a fence on Cup Day and cut open her back leg quite badly.”

After a spell she made her race day debut in April 2024 at Rangiora.

“She ran a couple of nice races against a couple of nice horses and then went a couple of average races. We decided to give her a real decent spell. She’s more mature, has mellowed out and she’s holding her condition really well now. We’ve managed to get a bit of gear off her. She used to wear a jaw breaker and a pole. Now she just wears a normal bridle.”

Prior to today’s race Sheila Laxon had been to four trials.

“We’ve given her quite the build up because she’d had a pretty big spell. At each trial she got better and better.”

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink