Irish jockey who starred on The Voice wins £2 million Melbourne Cup on 90-1 shot

Robbie Dolan, primitively from Kildare, enjoyed the top infinitesimal of his vocation successful the saddle erstwhile helium steered Knight's Choice to a photo-finish triumph connected his archetypal thrust successful the race

A jockey who performed connected the deed amusement The Voice recorded his biggest fig 1 successful the £2 cardinal Lexus Melbourne Cup.

Robbie Dolan, 28, emigrated to Australia 8 years agone aft a play successful which helium rode 3 winners successful Ireland wherever helium was apprenticed to Adrian Keatley.

While proving helium had the x-factor successful the saddle arsenic a Group 1-winning jockey down nether helium besides showcased his endowment arsenic a singer.

Two years agone helium successfully auditioned for The Voice Australia and performed connected the deed amusement successful beforehand of judges Rita Ora and Keith Urban, yet getting knocked retired astatine the 4th last stage.

Dolan, whose gramps Peadar Matthews won 2 Irish Classics successful the 1960s and whose parents Bobby and Paula besides rode, had ne'er ridden successful the Melbourne Cup.

Knight's Choice was a 90-1 outsider successful the 2m handicap, which featured 4 runners from Europe, including the Willie Mullins-trained brace Vauban and Absurde.

He was trained by John Symons and Sheila Laxon, the Pontypridd, Glamorgan-born handler who became the archetypal pistillate to triumph the Melbourne Cup with Ethereal successful 2001.

In beforehand of a adjacent 100,000 assemblage astatine Flemington, Dolan produced what apical jockey James McDonald described arsenic “one of the champion rides I’ve ever seen successful the Melbourne Cup” to travel from the back, thread a way done the tract to decision Japan’s Warp Speed successful a photo-finish by a abbreviated head.

Okita Sushi, ridden by Jamie Kah finished third, with Zardozi fourth. Absurde was the archetypal European to decorativeness successful 5th place, Vauban was 11th, Onesmoothoperator 12th and Sea King 13th.

Immediately aft crossing the line, Dolan said: “Pinch me, I deliberation I’m dreaming. It’s incredible. I can’t judge it. I don’t adjacent cognize what to say.

“I watched each Melbourne Cup from the past 40 years the different nighttime and I conscionable knew my champion accidental was if I get him to enactment the travel and hopefully helium tin rattle home.

“I can’t adjacent enactment it into words. This is the biggest contention successful the world and to triumph it is conscionable incredible. I person got my household here, my spouse Christine, my small babe Maisie, my Dad flew implicit from Ireland and present you’ve got maine successful tears.”

Laxon, who worked for John Dunlop earlier emigrating successful 1980, said: “What an astonishing thrust by Robbie. We didn’t springiness him instructions, helium conscionable knew what to do.”

She has present saddled 2 runners successful the Melbourne Cup, some of them winners.

“I’d amended halt there,” she said. “I emotion it that an Australian equine has done it and Robbie is Australian now. It’s the people’s race.

Turning to Dolan she said: “Well done. You’re not conscionable a bully singer!”

Mullins said afterwards that Vauban had not handled the track. "The penning appeared to beryllium connected the partition from halfway," helium said.

"I was delighted with Absurde. Kerrin wanted to person him a spot person but helium was a spot further backmost than anticipated passing the winning station truthful to tally the mode helium did and decorativeness the mode helium did from that presumption was a hellhole of a run.

"I'd accidental Absurde mightiness travel backmost but it's astir apt not Vauban's track."