Laugher set the four-year-old alight from mid-field to wrest the lead off Jaxon Beach inside the first 500 meters of the race.
With Laugher controlling the tempo, Our Vincent Can Gogh ($4.40) stole a winning break approaching the home turn reeling off a 27.6 last 400 meters to score by five meter from Jaxon Beach with the heavily backed $3.40 favorite Ultimate Vinnie three meters away third.
Laugher said he made up his mind to attack for the lead after a keenly contested early stanza of the race.
“If Chris (Alford) on Jaxon Beach had strode to the lead I probably wouldn’t have bothered but when he had to do a bit of work to keep the front, I thought he may hand up and in the end, he was happy to let me go,” Laugher said.
Laugher admitted the barrier draw played a key role in the win.
“Being one out in the running line following out helped, if either Magnetic Terror or Ultimate Vinnie had our draw they would have been first around to the pegs and the result might have been different,” he said.
“But he felt as good as he has for me, and he ran a nice last half so once he lobbed in front, he was going to be hard to beat.”
Laugher believes Our Vincent Can Gogh will prove competitive in future assignments at Melton.
“He won his metropolitan races as a three- year- old and he’s got to free for all class pretty quick but if he continues to improve, which he should, he is capable of winning a few more at Melton,” he said.
The win completed a race to race to double for Laugher after landing a betting plunge on Feel The Reign ($7.50 to $3.80) which is trained by his father Michael.
“You have to drive him for luck, but he deserved to break through after running second at his past three starts,” he said.
