A frustrating run in group one oaks races came to an end for former New Zealand trainer Laurie Laxon at Trentham on Saturday.
Laxon owns a half share in Tapildo, an upset winner of the $245,000 New Zealand Oaks for three-year-old fillies.
Now training in Singapore, Laxon has long tried to win a group one oaks as a trainer but has not managed it.
He has had three seconds and a third in the New Zealand Oaks, two seconds in the AJC Australian Oaks, and also had seconds in the Queensland and Australasian Oaks.
"I have had plenty of practice," he said from Singapore yesterday.
Laxon did prepare Champagne to dead-heat for first in the Moonee Valley Oaks but the race had a group three rating and did not satisfy Laxon's ambitions.
"It wasn't a real oaks," he said.
Laxon listened to Tapildo's win by phone from Singapore, via a call from his son Craig, who put the telephone by the television set.
"I was in my office here and listened to the commentary and then the interviews afterwards," Laxon said.
"I got a big thrill from it all, I really did."
Laxon then capped a good day by having a win, two thirds, a fourth and a fifth with his five runners at Kranji in Singapore last night. He has now won five races this month and is setting the early pace on the Singapore premiership.
The New Zealand Oaks gave Laxon his biggest return as an owner though he was also a part-owner of New Zealand Derby winner Cavallieri and One Thousand Guineas winner Clear Rose.
Tapildo went into the group one race for three-year-old fillies with one win from six starts and was discarded by most punters to pay $42.55. She is trained at Cambridge in the Waikato by Laxon's wife Sheila.
Tapildo's win presented both Sheila Laxon and rider Mark Du Plessis with their first group one winner.
Laxon has held a trainer's licence for about four years and Du Plessis arrived in New Zealand from Zimbabwe in November, 1998.
His forward move on Tapildo to sweep to the lead with 600m to run caught Sheila Laxon by surprise.
Tapildo burst clear half-way down the straight and held on to score by 1-1/4 lengths from the favourite Singalong who ran on strongly from back in the field.
There was a length to third-placed Danasia with 1-1/4 lengths to Club Girl, fourth, and a short head to second favourite Elevenses who was handy throughout.
Laurie Laxon races Tapildo in partnership with Ian Taplin, a Southland dairy farmer, and his father, Syd.
Tapildo, a Rhythm filly from a Sir Tristram mare, was a $5000 buy for Ian Taplin at the select fillies' sale at Te Rapa, Hamilton, in February 1999.
The Taplins offered Laurie Laxon a half-share after asking him to take a look at the filly.
The oaks win was perfectly timed for Syd Taplin and his wife, Colleen, who celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary on Saturday. They were married at Patea, south Taranaki, on the day Great Sensation won the second of three Wellington Cups.
Syd Taplin spent most of his working life in Taranaki, before shifting to Southland several years ago. He has been racing horses since the early 1970s and Tap Again and On Tap were useful earlier winners for him.
The father and son partnership are also breeding from the Wandering Eyes mare Peep, and race Bobby Lee, a three-year-old Zabeel-Peep filly with Auckland trainer Trevor McKee.
They also have a two-year-old brother to Bobby Lee and the four-year-old half-brother, Gay Tap, who has won twice for Sheila Laxon.
- NZPA
Racing: Oaks win ends frustrating run
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