By MIKE DILLON
You couldn't be this unlucky.
You jump on a flight from Auckland to Sydney with the money to buy a cherished boat and get off the aircraft with no boat and no money.
League dynamo Graham Lowe managed it.
Lowe's fascination with boats is well documented and two years ago he was about to buy his umteenth vessel when he found himself seated next to trainer Graeme Rogerson on a Sydney flight.
A couple of red wines after takeoff the boat had turned into two horses in the Hawtin/Rogerson stable.
One of that pair, Lacroix, was a $28 winner at Te Rapa on Saturday and unfortunately, messy Warriors meetings on the day prevented Lowe and co-owner, wife Karen, from being on track to see the horse win.
Do not let the long odds fool you into thinking Lacroix is destined to be an also-ran - the grey is highly thought of by co-trainer Keith Hawtin.
"He's always been very smart. Lance O'Sullivan rode him early on and rated the horse.
"What has slowed him down is having two knee operations. He had bone chips taken off a knee this time last year, was back in work and actually trialled then we found chips in the other knee and operated again."
The inflated odds were because Lacroix had not raced since January and Hawtin was sure, that without the benefit of a trial, the horse would be found short on conditioning in such testing footing.
"I told Graeme (Rogerson) and Graham Lowe that if the horse had had a trial I'd be confident."
Lacroix led at the 250m and looked certain to win inside the 150m, but was under huge pressure to hold out a late lunge by Calici. Rider Noel Harris was surprised and delighted Lacroix pressed on so strongly.
"At the 300m I thought, if he gives in now it will be a good run, but he refused to give up."
Racing: Win puts Lacroix into a top league
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