Knight’s Choice has been ruled out of this Saturday’s All-Star Mile, and his autumn plans are now uncertain after the Melbourne Cup winner was found to have suffered an injury on Monday.
Co-trainers John Symons and Sheila Laxon confirmed that the five-year-old had sustained a leg issue, requiring time off for recovery.
“We are disappointed to advise that Knight’s Choice has, unfortunately, sustained a knock to his fetlock and the subsequent filling indicates that it is best to put him aside for a few weeks to allow the oedema to subside,” Symons Laxon Racing said in a social media statement.
This setback rules him out of both the All-Star Mile (1600m) and the Australian Cup (2000m), which is set to take place on March 29.
Both Group 1 races, boasting $2.5 million in prize money, were scheduled to run at Flemington—the same venue where Knight’s Choice defied the odds to claim a stunning Melbourne Cup victory at $91 last November.
Despite this setback, there is still hope that the gelding can return in time for the Queensland Winter Carnival, where the $1.2m Group 2 Q22 (2200m) remains a possible target.