Knight's Choice blows up the tote in Melbourne Cup, pays $221 in American pools

Knight’s Choice returned an astounding $221.70 for a $2 win bet in American pools after winning Tuesday’s Group 1 Melbourne Cup at Flemington Racecourse in Australia.

With the stunning victory, Knight’s Choice ended a 10-race losing streak since a win in a minor handicap at Doomben Racecourse in Brisbane last December.

Ridden by Robbie Dolan, Knight’s Choice closed from the rear of the 23-horse field in the $5.61 million Melbourne Cup to win by a short head over 33-1 Warp Speed, a Japanese shipper who overcame trouble twice in the last three furlongs and just missed with a late rally.

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The $1 exacta combining those two (11-4) returned $2,644.20. There were no winning tickets in the $1 trifecta, which paid $4,083.50 for the combination of 11-4-all. Okita Soushi (21-1) finished third, beaten slightly less than a length.

Vauban, the top weight at 122.3 pounds and the 7-2 favorite in American pools, finished 11th beaten five lengths. Vauban, trained in Ireland by Willie Mullins, was 14th in the 2023 Melbourne Cup.

Knight’s Choice, a 5-year-old Australian-bred gelding by Extreme Choice, is trained by the partnership of John Symons and Sheila Laxon. Laxon won the 2001 Melbourne Cup with Ethereal. The Symons-Laxon stable is based in Sunshine Coast, north of Brisbane.

Knight’s Choice has won 6 of 23 starts. The win in the Melbourne Cup was worth $2.91 million. Prior to the Melbourne Cup, Knight’s Choice’s only stakes win was the Group 3 Winx Guineas at a mile at Sunshine Coast Racecourse in July 2023.

Earlier this year, Knight’s Choice was winless in nine starts, including a second in the Group 2 Q22 Stakes at 1 3/8 miles at Eagle Farm Racecourse in June. In his final prep race for the Melbourne Cup, Knight’s Choice was fifth of 15, beaten five lengths, in the Group 3 Bendigo Cup at Bendigo Racecourse on Oct. 30.

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