Knight’s Choice owners chasing big payday in Melbourne Cup after turning down $2.3m offer

The owners of Knight’s Choice knocked back a $2.3m offer to sell the horse, but could that decision reap the ultimate rewards in the 2024 Melbourne Cup?

When the owners of Knight’s Choice knocked back a $2.3m offer to sell the boom youngster last year, Sheila Laxon thought they might need to win the Melbourne Cup to make the gamble worthwhile.

And now that’s exactly what Laxon, a Cups legend who famously scored the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double with Ethereal in 2001, is trying to do.

Queenslander Knight’s Choice, the horse who finished second behind new star Fawkner Park in the $1.2m Q22 at Eagle Farm in June, has travelled to Melbourne and is staying at the legendary Macedon Lodge property with stablemate Mission Of Love.

After a gallop at Macedon on Tuesday morning, Laxon and training partner John Symons said they were leaning towards racing the resuming Knight’s Choice against the big guns in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.

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But the training team remains undecided and Knight’s Choice could yet race against Caloundra Cup-winning stablemate Mission Of Love in the $150,000 Handicap over 1700m at Flemington on the same day.

Regardless, Laxon has some big dreams for Knight’s Choice.

Sheila Laxon is aiming to win the Melbourne Cup again with Knight's Choice. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

“I will tell you, at the time when owners knocked back the offer, I thought they might need to win a Melbourne Cup to verify the decision to knock back the big money,” Laxon told Racenet.

“I hope that can now happen.

“And then people will say, wow, that was a wise decision (not to sell).

“You only get a few cracks at the cherry.

“I think this horse has got the ability to do it. We will give him the option and see what happens.

“He is such a laid-back dude, you would think the further he goes the better he will get.

“He has come back better than ever.

“How high do you aim?

“You go right to the top and work backwards from there I suppose.”

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Laxon indicated that if Knight’s Choice competed in the Group 1 on Saturday, Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Jye McNeil would ride.

If he lined up in the other race on the same day, fellow Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Mark Zahra would ride.

Sheila Laxon (centre) with son John (right) when Ethereal won the 2001 Melbourne Cup.

Knight’s Choice was last seen finishing fourth behind stablemate Mission Of Love in the Caloundra Cup and before that was third behind former Melbourne Cup winner Vow And Declare who won the Group 3 Tatt’s Cup (2400m) at Eagle Farm in record time.

Ever since Knight’s Choice produced a slashing win in the Group 3 Winx Guineas over 1600m last year, Laxon has had the idea to try to test him in the big league in Melbourne over staying trips.

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At one stage there was even a 2023 Cox Plate plan in mind but that didn’t eventuate.

“Knight’s Choice and Mission Of Love arrived at Macedon Lodge on Saturday and they are really happy here,” Laxon said.

“The facilities are amazing for training horses, you can do so many things to suit the individual horses.

“It feels like old times a bit, it’s great to come back to Melbourne.”

Knight’s Choice is a $101 chance in the Makybe Diva Stakes and he would be likely to be warming up at the end over 1600m against top Group 1 company.

He is also rated a $101 chance to give Laxon another famous Melbourne Cup win on the first Tuesday in November.

Originally published as Knight’s Choice owners chasing big payday in Melbourne Cup after turning down $2.3m offer