Melbourne Cup winner Robbie Dolan and his family were pictured walking through the Flemington paddock on Tuesday with big smiles on their faces after the Irishman won the big race in Australia.
In touching scenes, Dolan and his partner Christine Duffy laughed and smiled as they carried their daughter, Maisie, around the grounds of Flemington Racecourse in a pink suitcase.
Earlier in the day, the jockey accomplished an incredible feat, winning the Melbourne Cup aboard $81 Knight’s Choice, who overcame favorites Buckaroo, Vauban and Onesmoothoperator to achieve the shock victory.
Dolan had also notably performed on The Voice two years ago, where he successfully performed opposite Rita Ora and Keith Urban.
The 28-year-old would advance to the quarter-finals of the competition before being eliminated.
But during his time on the reality show, the jockey and his partner Christine welcomed their first daughter into the world.
They had revealed that their baby was born 15 weeks early in April 2022, with The daily telegraph reporting that Maisie had had to fight for her life.
Weighing just 670 grams at birth, Maisie was born by emergency caesarean section at Liverpool Hospital, and Robbie said it had been “a bit of a shock”.
Fortunately, Maisie and her mother appeared to recover, and both appeared on Channel Nine’s live broadcast of the race, smiling and celebrating alongside her father and her husband, Robbie.
In 2022, Robbie thanked all the doctors, nurses and medical professionals for the care they provided to his daughter, who is now two years old.
“100 days ago I sat in a corner of the Liverpool NICU while the doctors and nurses worked on little Maisie,” she wrote in a post on Instagram.
Jockey Robbie Dolan celebrated his Melbourne Cup victory with partner Christine Duffy and daughter Maisie on Tuesday.
Previously, Dolan scored a sensational win in the $81 Knight’s Choice in the Melbourne Cup.
It comes after Dolan’s two-year-old daughter Maisie was born prematurely, and the family went through an ordeal following her birth.
‘I have never felt so helpless in my entire life.
‘What he has done since then is nothing short of amazing. She is in the home stretch now and @clduffy and I hope to have her home in the coming weeks. Thank you for all the messages of support from everyone, including our amazing friends and family who have helped us so much along the way. #MircaleMaisie.’
Dolan admitted that he started crying when he saw his family after the race, not knowing that his father Bobby would also be in Flemington for the race.
‘I held it together very well until I got back to the assembly yard and saw my dad, Christine and little Maisie. I just cried my eyes out,” Dolan told Sky Racing.
Maisie spent 110 days in intensive care before being allowed to return home after her birth.
Both parents admitted their pride and joy that their daughter was in the stands at Flemington to watch her father achieve a victory for good.
“There will be 100,000 people there on Tuesday and she will be right in the middle, although she won’t have much of an idea of what’s going on,” Dolan added.
‘I was always sure she was going to be fine, you have to be optimistic. She’s a soldier, she’s tougher than me and she’s doing well.’
Christine was seen holding Maisie after the race and said that while it had been a difficult journey to get to Flemington, all of her husband’s exploits had been worth it.
‘Very proud. “This has been a long time coming… It’s all been worth it… it’s all a lot of hustle and bustle,” he said.
The young couple welcomed their daughter in 2022, but Maisie was born 15 weeks early and had to spend 110 days in intensive care.
Meanwhile, Dolan had previously stated that he would have to stop sensational racing if he ever won the big Australian race.
But amid the celebrations, Dolan walked back those comments, saying, “I’m not giving up.” That feeling was too good.
‘I can’t believe it. I watched every Melbourne Cup from the last 40 years last night and thought my best chance was to get him to stay on the trip and hopefully get home.
“It just proved everyone wrong.” “This is the biggest race in the world and winning it is incredible.”
