Sheila Laxon, trainer of recent Melbourne Cup (Aus-G1) winner Ethereal, and Saeed Bin Suroor, principal trainer for Godolphin Racing who saddled runner-up Give the Slip, are among the seven November nominees for the coveted 2002 Fred Hoysted Award for outstanding trainers in Victoria.Outstanding trainers are nominated each month of the racing season, which runs from August to July the following year, with the finalist announced at a gala presentation dinner at season's end. Winner of the 2000-'01 award, which was named after late trainer Fred Hoysted, was Michael Moroney.

Laxon, the first woman to train a Melbourne Cup winner, also received a nomination in October for training Ethereal to win the Caulfield Cup (Aus-G1).

Suroor gained his nomination for his feat in training Give the Slip, untried at two miles and normally used as a pacemaker for Godolphin stars, including Fantastic Light, who ran a courageous second in the Melbourne Cup, and then training Hatha Anna to win the Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Aus-G2).—Delamere Usher