This year’s $8.5million Group I VRC Melbourne Cup (3200m) produced a genuinely amazing fairytale result for the connections of five year-old Extreme Choice gelding Knight’s Choice, but part of that fairytale is his sire Extreme Choice, who has carved out something seriously special as being only the second sire in history to produce the winner of a Golden Slipper and a Melbourne Cup.
The Golden Slipper was first run in 1957 and the Melbourne Cup in 1861 and in the period during which both races have been run only one other stallion has sired the winners of both races, which is not surprising given one is a 1200m sprint for juveniles and the other is a 3200m handicap geared to older stayers.
Extreme Choice won his Slipper with Stay Inside and has now won a Cup with Knight’s Choice and the other sire to do it was Cambridge Stud’s legendary stallion Sir Tristram (IRE).
Sir Tristram was primarily a source of classic horses and more staying types and left three Melbourne Cup winners in Gurners Lane(1982), Empire Rose (1988) and Brew (2000) and also sired Marauding to win the Golden Slipper in 1987.
Sir Tristram was Champion Australian Sire on six occasions 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989 and 1990, which does make you wonder what might have been for Extreme choice if he had the fertility to match his phenomenal talents as a sire.
Trained by John Symons and Sheila Laxon, Knight’s Choice was ridden brilliantly by Robbie Dolan to edge out Japanese raider Warp Speed (Jpn) by a head in a thrilling finish.
Sheila Laxon already booked her place in Melbourne Cup history as the first woman to train the winner with Ethereal in 2001.
“It was just an awesome and amazing ride by Robbie,” Laxon said.
“We didn’t give him instructions, he just knew what to do.
“Obviously, when you win something like this, it takes a while to register. John is over the moon and the owners are just so thrilled. It’s great to be part of it.
“Do you know what’s great? I love it being done for the Australians. The Australian horse has done it and Robbie’s Australian now as well. So I’m thrilled to win the Cup. It’s the People’s Cup and that’s what it’s all about.
“Cameron Bain and the people who raced Midnight Pearl – the mother have 10% as well. So it’s just a small group of people. They’re just so thrilled and so am I.”
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 six wins and five placings from 23 starts with prizemoney of $5.8million.
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.
If you go a very long way back and I’m talking a long, long way back, his 12th dam is Our Lassie, who won the Group I Epsom Oaks in 1903!
Midnight Pearl did not have a live foal for a few years, but has foaled this spring producing a filly by The Autumn Sun.
Knight’s Choice is the fourth Group I winner for Extreme Choice, who has the happy knack of being able to upgrade a pedestrian mare to produce a serious stakes horse, although now standing at a fee of $275,000, he no longer needs that talent given the bevy of elite mares that roll the dice each year to be covered by the son of Not a Single Doubt.
Extreme Choice runs at 12.3% SW to runner and has sired 13 stakes-winners in a stud career impacted by his limited fertility, but made all the more special by his unique talents.
Extreme Choice stands at Newgate alongside two of his sire sons in Golden Slipper winner Stay Inside and Group winner Tiger of Malay.
