Lexus Melbourne Cup (Group 1 Handicap)

JOCKEY Robbie Dolan from Kildare town pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Melbourne Cup history when slicing through the field on unconsidered 90/1 shot Knight’s Choice to capture Australia’s most famous race, as Absurde finished best of Willie Mullins’ two runners in an admirable fifth.

Dolan, who relocated to Australia in 2016 with only three Irish winners to his name, was in absolute dreamland when confirmed as the winner of the AUS$8.56 million feature after a photo finish with Japanese challenger Warp Speed.

A short-head separated the pair at the line, with the ex-Joseph O’Brien-trained Okita Soushi a close third for Ciaron Maher.

From an Irish perspective, hopes were high that Vauban could bounce back from a disappointing defeat in the race when favourite 12 months earlier. He was again one of the leading fancies in the market at 7/1. Frustratingly for his supporters, however, Susannah Ricci’s top-class hurdler could only improve his 2023 position two places to 11th in the 23-runner field.

In fact, it was Mullins’ other challenger, Absurde, who proved to be by far the more dangerous. Having ended up a long way back in the field under Kerrin McEvoy, he delivered a big effort in the circumstances to be beaten just a length and three quarters in fifth for the H O S Syndicate.

Dolan, 28, will undoubtedly go down as the story of the 2024 Melbourne Cup, though. As well as the drama of cutting through the pack from off the pace to capture the race that stops a nation, he was already a well-known face to many outside the racing circle in Australia.

The now three-time Group 1-winning rider gained plenty of recognition for his musical talents when making it to the final 12 of The Voice Australia in 2022, having wowed the judges with his initial ‘blind audition’ of James Bay’s Let It Go. Victory on the first Tuesday in November was by far the sweetest music he’d ever heard.

“It's incredible - I just can't believe it, I don't even know what to say,” beamed Dolan.

“I watched every Melbourne over the last 40 years the other night. I just thought my best chance is if I get him to stay the trip and hopefully he can rattle home and quicken up with those good sectionals that he can do on a good track. He just proved everybody wrong.

“I can't even put it into words what this means. This is the biggest race in the world, and to win it is just incredible.”

This was just the third ride of Dolan’s career around Flemington and his first Spring Carnival winner on the John Symons and Sheila Laxon-owned five-year-old.

“I’m getting interviewed by so many people, it’s like I’m signing for Real Madrid,” he quipped.

“It’s crazy. Every jockey’s dream is to ride in the Melbourne Cup, let alone win it. They say it’s the race that stops a nation but it’s probably the race that stops the world as well. I remember watching this as a kid in awe of the crowds. When I walked up the straight an hour before the race, I couldn’t believe the amount of people here. Now I’m a Melbourne Cup winner."

He added: “John and Sheila are really great trainers, underrated trainers. They always believed in this little horse. The wet track didn’t suit him in the Caulfield Cup [when down the field] and I believed in the horse. I really fancied him, maybe not to win but to run a really good race. I was confident he’d run two miles and he had the dash required for this race.”

Victory on Knight’s Choice was made all the sweeter for Dolan by the surprise arrival of his father Bobby in the days leading up to his son’s first Melbourne Cup ride.

Bobby, a significant part of the Dermot Weld operation for close to three decades during the era of Melbourne Cup winners Vintage Crop and Media Puzzle, may now have to delay his plans to fly back to work at Anglesey Lodge on Wednesday.

“I kept it together really well until I came back to the mounting yard and saw dad, [my partner] Christine and my little daughter Maisie. Then I just bawled my eyes out,” said the winning rider.

Dolan Sr added: “I’m over the moon. I’m so proud of him, he’s a great kid. He didn’t know I was coming but his partner Christine got me over… When he walked into the house and saw me, he nearly died! I wanted to be here for his first Melbourne Cup ride.

“I knew the drying ground was in his favour. I didn’t think the European horses would handle it that quick. I was panicking watching the race, I thought he was second until seeing the photo.”

Mullins made no excuses for his duo and remains committed to trying to win the world-famous race for the first time. The other European-trained runners, Brian Ellison’s Onesmoothoperator and Harry Eustace’s Sea King, finished 12th and 14th respectively.

“I’m very happy with Absurde,” said the Britain and Ireland’s champion trainer.

“Things didn’t go well for him in the early part of the race, he got a bit further out than Kerrin wanted him to be, so considering where he was, to finish fifth was a tremendous run. I’m very happy with him in the circumstances. It wasn’t the plan to be that far back. To extract him to finish fifth from that position was tremendous.

“You could see Vauban was struggling at halfway. He wasn’t able to hold his place the way he should have been, and William [Buick] was very disappointed because normally he carries him the whole way into the race. He wasn’t carrying him from halfway. It’s disappointing. He jumped off where he wanted to be but you could see he wasn’t enjoying it. It just doesn’t seem to be his track.”

When asked by local reporters if the trainer will be seen again at Flemington, Mullins said: “Of course. We’ve still got that itch to scratch. We’ll have to reload and see what happens.

“I’m delighted for Robbie. It’s great to see him doing that today.”