The Makybe Diva Stakes looms as a spring starting point for Knight’s Choice as the stayer builds towards a defence of his Melbourne Cup.
Knight’s Choice has arrived in Victoria from Queensland to be trained out of Macedon Lodge, the famed training property that was pivotal to the horse's success in 2024.
Trained by John Symons and Sheila Laxon, Knight’s Choice stunned the racing world with his Melbourne Cup win last year.
But the rising six-year-old hasn’t raced since defeating Japan’s Warp Speed as a $91 chance in Australia’s greatest race.
Knight’s Choice suffered a ligament injury while being prepared for a return to racing earlier this year but Laxon said her stable star was ready for a full-on Melbourne Cup bid.
“I would say he might get away with five runs going into the Cup,” she told RSN’s Racing Pulse.
The Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes is a weight-for-age race run over 1600m at Flemington on September 13.
But whether Knight’s Choice is reunited with jockey Robbie Dolan in the Makybe Diva remains up in the air.
Irish-born Dolan is heading to the UK to ride in the Shergar Cup, a jockey series staged at Ascot, and is expected to spend at least a month overseas visiting family before returning to Australia.
