Rank outsider Knight’s Choice yesterday upset favorite Buckaroo to win the A$8 million (US$5.29 million) Melbourne Cup, earning Irish jockey Robbie Dolan a debut victory in Australia’s “race that stops a nation.”
The five-year-old Australian-bred gelding came home by a nose in a photo finish ahead of Japanese raider Warp Speed and the Jamie Kah-ridden Okita Soushi in the energy-sapping 3.2km handicap at Flemington.
“Pinch me, I’m dreaming,” said 28-year-old Dolan, a part-time singer who was riding in the famous race for the first time.
Photo: AP
“It is incredible. I can’t believe it. I don’t even know what to say. “I didn’t know what to expect, but I feel like I’ve ridden it 10 times because I have ridden it in my head 100 times. I can’t put it into words. It is the biggest race in the world.”
It was a major breakthrough for Dolan, who was previously best-known for making it through several rounds of Australia’s version of the singing show The Voice in 2022. He fittingly sung Horses by local performer Daryl Braithwaite as part of the entertainment at the Cox Plate, a prestigious race in Melbourne.
“I’ll be singing tonight after a few beers,” he said, overcome with emotion.
Dolan said he had considered pursuing a singing career full time, but missed the racing.
“I could have easily given up riding to do the music, but I just loved it too much,” he said. “You work so hard not only as a jockey, but just in the racing industry — you get up early hours, long days, long nights and not a lot of breaks.”
“Once I started doing a little bit of music, it was a nice change. I’d just been grafting for 10 years before that,” he added. “At one stage, I was struggling to get a few rides, and I was thinking: ‘Gee, I might just do the music on the side,’ and then I just missed riding winners, I missed the camaraderie of the jockeys in the room.”
A cultural institution in Australia, the Melbourne Cup has been run since 1861 and is considered so important it is a public holiday in its host state of Victoria.
Held in front of a bumper crowd, drinking and socializing took priority over racing for many, with the sound of popping champagne corks accompanying the thundering of hooves.
Breaking from barrier six, the John Symons and Sheila Laxon-trained Knight’s Choice, an 80-1 shot, settled toward the back of the 23-strong pack behind early leader Just Fine.
With 1km to go, Just Fine was still ahead, but was slowly reeled in down the home straight and finished last, with Knight’s Choice surging from 20th at the final turn for a thrilling victory.
It was a second win for Laxon, who became the first woman to train a Melbourne Cup winner in 2001 with Ethereal.
Mark Zahra, who rode the last two Melbourne Cup winners — Without a Fight and Gold Trip — was denied a hat-trick aboard Circle of Fire, finishing sixth.
Kerrin McEvoy’s bid for a record-equaling fourth win was also unsuccessful, with his horse Absurde fifth.
A record four female jockeys competed with Kah faring best on Okita Soushi.
Michelle Payne is the only woman rider to win the Melbourne Cup after she steered Prince of Penzance to victory in 2015.
There was one withdrawal by stewards before the race started with French import Athabascan found to have an irregular heartbeat, reducing the field to 23.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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