- Won the Melbourne Cup aboard Knight’s Choice
- Horse had a 100-1 chance with some bookmakers
- Dolan also appeared on The Voice in 2022.
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Robbie Dolan isn’t just a talented hoopsman – he can also hold a tune better than most people.
Dolan, 28, appears in The Voice in 2022, turning three chairs before joining British singer-songwriter Rita Ora’s team with her stunning rendition of James Bay’s ‘Let It Go’.
He progressed to the top 24 performers before eventually being eliminated in the Sing-offs, and if that wasn’t enough, the Irish-born star also performed Daryl Braithwaite’s iconic ‘The Horses’ at the Cox Plate two years ago.
‘It’s incredible, I can’t believe it. “I don’t even know what to say,” the man of the hour told Channel Nine’s Billy Slater as he rode Knight’s Choice back to the yard after taking his bow in a tight finish over 3200m at Flemington.
‘I’ve watched every Melbourne Cup for the last 14 years. I thought my best chance was to get him to stay on the trip…then he proved everyone wrong.
“I can’t put it into words (the Melbourne Cup win).
“I’ve got my family here and my partner Christine, our little Maisie and my dad flew in from Ireland, and now you’ve got me crying.”
Dolan, whose stay was considered an 80-1 chance pre-race with some bookmakers, moved to Australia in 2016 in search of a fresh start due to a lack of opportunities as an apprentice jockey in his home country.
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Robbie Dolan isn’t just a talented hoopsman – he also has a voice for the ages.
Dolan, 28, appeared on The Voice in 2022, turning three chairs before joining Rita Ora’s team with her performance of James Bay’s ‘Let It Go’.
Dolan advanced to the top 24 artists before finally being eliminated in the Sing-offs.
Dolan moved to Australia in 2016 looking for a fresh start due to a lack of opportunities as an apprentice jockey in Ireland (pictured right, winning the Melbourne Cup).
Dolan will take home just over $220,000, plus a miniature Melbourne Cup trophy valued at $10,000.
“I started in Ireland at the RACE Academy when I was 17,” Dolan told TDN AusNZ.
‘It’s a nine-month training program and they basically taught me how to ride.
‘I had practiced a bit before that, but that’s where I really started to develop my passion.
“I apprenticed in Ireland for probably two or three seasons with little travel and not much success, so I decided to move to Australia.”
He also has racing pedigree in his blood, with Dolan’s grandfather’s Group 1 winning jockey Peadar Matthews.
But now it’s Dolan’s time to shine after winning Australia’s most coveted horse race.
The prize money isn’t bad either: Dolan will take home just over $220,000, plus a miniature Melbourne Cup trophy worth $10,000.
Trainers John Symons and Sheila Laxon receive 10 percent of the prize money, and Knight’s Choice connections will enjoy the rest of the $4.4 million.
