Time Is Short For Defending Champion

Last year’s Melbourne Cup winner Knight’s Choice is facing an uphill battle to defend his title in 2025.

Trainer John Symons had originally planned to give the 5 year old an autumn campaign that included the All Star Mile. A minor injury put that prep on ice and more recently he was being set for the Q22 at Eagle Farm in June, but Symons said, “We had to abort that, because the rain, just continued to rain there, continually the last couple of months.”

Knight’s Choice - Melbourne Cup 2024.

Symons plans to have Knight’s Choice based at Macedon Lodge from late July onwards.

On the Racing Pulse (RSN Radio) program Symons confirmed the minor injury that kept him out of the autumn was a fetlock problem. “He actually injured his, or hit his fetlock in a gallop on the course proper here . . . it seemed very incidental. We thought we’d get him over it very quickly . . . caution came into it so, we put him away for the autumn . . . ”

The trainer revealed that the 5 year old gelding (6 in the spring) is working with enthusiasm and there appears to be no problem with the fetlock. Knight’s Choice only travelled to Macedon Lodge in early September last year, so though he’s definitely lost all residual fitness from previous campaigns, the Cup champ should have an advantage by being at Macedon Lodge much earlier than in 2024.