Knight’s Choice delivers Melbourne Cup magic for Harden-Murrumburrah

For trainer Sheila Laxon, the win marked her second Melbourne Cup triumph, having saddled Ethereal to victory in 2001. Laxon described the win as “unbelievable”. Reflecting on the journey, she praised Knight’s Choice’s heart and resilience. 

While the victory was historic for Laxon and her training partner John Symons, it was equally momentous for the Harden-Murrumburrah community, who were the beneficiaries of the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour National Sweep.

Their lucky draw of barrier 6 (subsequently barrier 5 with the scratching of Athabascan) – historically the second most successful gate behind 11 – delivered $50,000 to the Harden Pony Club. 

Courtney Jones, President of the Harden Pony Club, was on hand at Flemington with her husband Ashley to witness the extraordinary win. Speaking about the initiative, Jones shared the serendipitous journey that led to their participation. 

“It all started when Mum saw it advertised on the Today Show,” Jones said. “She told me to enter the Pony Club, and I thought, ‘Ah Mum, I don’t know.’ But she insisted it wouldn’t hurt to try.” 

Their entry brought the Lexus Melbourne Cup Tour to Harden earlier this year, where the community rallied around the iconic trophy. “When the Cup came to Harden the Pony Club organised an old-fashioned family fun fair afternoon at the showground. We had jumping castles, face painting, hot donuts, pony rides, food and market stalls. We invited all our community sporting groups to be involved and local stall holders to showcase their talents,” said Jones. 

“We had a grand parade with local equine groups such as Harden and Jugiong Polocrosse clubs, the Light Horse troop, Pony Club members, the winning thoroughbred from our local ag shows Off the Track series class, some local riders dressed in racing silks and Greg Miles, our guest ambassador, travelled with the cup in a horse drawn carriage. The weather was horrible for the fair but the community still came out to support it and to see and hold the Cup.” 

The Cup’s visit wasn’t just about festivities; it was about touching lives.

“We then visited the two local nursing homes with the Cup,” Jones shared. “This was really special – the residents’ faces lit up when they saw the shiny big Cup and they couldn’t wait to get their hands on it and have their picture taken.” 

The celebrations culminated in a special evening; a dinner hosted at the newly built Harden Country Club. Eighty-two guests from within the community and surrounding areas attended, with the pony club kids waitressing for the evening. There was a memorabilia table containing local thoroughbred racing history, including the silks and photos of Archer, who won the first two Melbourne Cups in 1861 and 1862, supplied generously by the de Mestre family. 

“A highlight from the evening was when Greg Miles was asked to call a mock race with some horses’ names from within the pony club. This gave me goosebumps. His energy was amazing,” said Jones. 

Back at Flemington on the first Tuesday in November, when Knight’s Choice crossed the finish line Jones initially didn’t realise their horse had won. “I looked up at the screen and saw ‘Number 11.’ I turned to Ash and said, ‘That’s us!’ It was unbelievable. Winning it for the community was such an incredible feeling.”