
Knight’s Choice is on track to become the first Melbourne Cup winner to compete in an All-Star Mile after a standout trial performance at the Sunshine Coast on Tuesday morning.
The five-year-old, making his first public appearance since capturing last November’s Melbourne Cup, impressed in a 1000-metre trial. He accelerated strongly along the inside over the final 250 metres, securing a half-length victory over Calico Jack in a time of 1:03.61.
The performance brought a smile to the face of co-trainer Sheila Laxon, who indicated that Knight’s Choice is likely to resume at Flemington, with the All-Star Mile now a serious target.
“His options are fairly restricted, so we’re looking at the Australian Cup or the All-Star Mile,” Laxon told RSN927, adding, “As we saw today, he’s pretty forward, and I’d think he’d probably go first-up into a race like that (All-Star Mile).”
“A trip away brings them on anyway, and you probably don’t want to do too much with him to get him ready for a mile. I think he’s probably ready for a mile as his next start.”
The All-Star Mile, now valued at $2.5 million and officially a Group 1 event, will be held at Flemington this year after previously rotating between Melbourne’s major tracks.
Knight’s Choice, a son of Extreme Choice, made history with his surprise Melbourne Cup win at $91 last year. However, his first four victories came in races around 1600m, including the Group 3 Winx Guineas (1600m).
The All-Star Mile, which this year is held in conjunction with the Newmarket Handicap on the VRC’s long weekend program, is run three weeks before the $2.5 million Group 1 Australian Cup (2000m).
Laxon, who trains in partnership with John Symons, also mentioned the $1.2m Q22, a 2200m race in Brisbane in June, as a potential target for Knight’s Choice. She suggested that the remainder of his campaign would depend on weather conditions, given the gelding’s preference for dry tracks.
“It’s going to be in the lap of the Gods about the weather and where he does run, if he runs, so it’s a little bit of a quandary for us,” Laxon explained.
“But we’ll prepare him, and I’m sure he’ll put his best foot forward on the day.”