It’s been a steep learning curve this year for talented Extreme Choice gelding Knight’s Choice, who capped his meteoric rise with a resounding win in the $300,000 Group III Winx Guineas (1600m) at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday.
Trained by John Symons and Sheila Laxon, Knight’s Choice broke his maiden over 1600m at the Sunshine Coast on May26 and has not been beaten since.
He followed up with Benchmark 65 wins at the Sunshine Coast and Doomben before stepping out in Black Type company for the first time.
Taking on some seasoned opposition, Knight’s Choice powered to the line for Jaden Lloyd to win running away by more than a length over Fashion Legend, who won the $2million Magic Millions Guineas back in January.
“To think he’s done all this in his first prep, it’s unbelievable,” said John Symons.
“From getting beaten in a Kilcoy maiden to winning a Group III race today, it’s just sensational.
“He’s a very good horse, we’ll send him for a spell then think about where we go next with him.
“We might look at the Melbourne spring or there’s the Magic Millions here in January. Who knows?
“We’ll just let the dust settle on this win first.”
It was a milestone win for Jaden Lloyd, who was thankful for first his Group victory.
“He’s just a really lovely animal, and I can’t thank John and Sheila enough for giving me the opportunity with him,” Lloyd said.
“I galloped him on Tuesday, and he just filled me with confidence. He’s only going to get better with time because he’s got such an electric turn of foot.”
Knight’s Choice was purchased by Michael Kirby/John Symons for $85,000 from the Elswick Park draft at Magic Millions Yearling Sale Book 2 and has the overall record of four wins from seven starts with prizemoney of $236,150.
He was bred by Norm Bazeley of Elswick Park, who bought his mother Midnight Pearl for $1000 at the 2013 Inglis Great Southern Sale as a maiden mare that had not been to stud. Knight’s Choice is her fourth foal and first winner from four to race, so is a significant improvement on her previous offspring.
A seven time winning daughter of champion sire More Than Ready (USA), Midnight Pearl is a half-sister to stakes-placed Sea Spray, but it’s a pedigree bereft of Black Type winners with Knight’s Choice the first stakes-winner in this family for five generations.
Midnight Pearl was not covered in 2021, but did go to another of the young Newgate sires last year in Brutal.
Knight’s Choice is the tenth stakes-winner for outstanding sire Extreme Choice, who has the happy knack of being able to upgrade a pedestrian mare to produce a serious stakes horse.
He runs at 14% SW to runner and has sired four stakes-winners this season despite his limited numbers and two of those stakes-winners are Group I winners Espiona and She’s Extreme with Group III winners Wollombi and Knight’s Choice rounding out the quartet.
Extreme Choice stands at Newgate at a fee of $275,000 alongside two of his sons in Stay Inside and Tiger of Malay.
