Knight’s Choice and fellow Queensland star Antino could be on a Cox Plate collision course as the Melbourne Cup champion kicked off his much-anticipated spring campaign with a trial win at Bendigo on Tuesday morning.
It marked the first official trial since February for six-year-old Knight’s Choice, after a disrupted preparation due to Queensland’s persistent wet weather.
“He’s a little bit hairy but he’ll clean up in the next few weeks,” trainer John Symons, who works in partnership with his wife Sheila Laxon, said. “He’s actually bouncing out of his skin. We couldn’t be happier with him.”
Knight’s Choice has been nominated for both the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate this spring, with Symons noting the ultimate target remains the Melbourne Cup at Flemington on the first Tuesday in November.
Brisbane trainer Tony Gollan is also eyeing the Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley on October 25 as Doomben Cup champion Antino’s grand final. The pair are also in contention for Queensland Horse Of The Year honours.
“For the first Queensland horse to win the Cup in 130-odd years, it’s a pretty big achievement,” Symons said, weighing Knight’s Choice’s credentials against Antino’s Doomben Cup and Toorak Handicap victories.
Knight’s Choice’s likely first-up run will be in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes at Caulfield (1400m) on August 30, followed by the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on September 13. The preparation mirrors last year’s path that culminated in victory in the Melbourne Cup.
“We might need to race him a bit more this time because he’s missed the winter up here,” Symons said. “We’ve been frustrated watching results we thought he could have figured in, but the aim is to have him peaking when it matters most.”
With both Antino and Knight’s Choice targeting the spring’s richest prizes, betting markets are already shaping up, and punters can find the best betting sites here.
