MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australia-trained gelding Knight's Choice has won the 164th running of Australia's premier horse race the Melbourne Cup at odds of 80-1. The unfancied five-year-old was well back turning for home in the two mile handicap at the Flemington racecourse. But Ireland-born jockey Robbie Dolan threaded a path through the field of 23 horses to win in a photo finish from the Japan-trained runner Warp Speed.
The race has prizemoney of US$5.6 million and drew horses from Ireland, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The 28-year-old Dolan was based in County Kildare in Ireland before moving his family to Queensland, Australia eight years ago.
He made an early mark with two Group 1 wins. But until Tuesday he might have been better known downunder as a singer after his appearance on the Australian version of The Voice television talent show in 2022. He was riding in the Melbourne Cup for the first time.
“I can’t believe it,” he said. “I watched all the Melbourne Cups of the last 40 years last night and I thought my best chance were if I could get him to stay the trip and hopefully I could rattle home. He just proved everybody wrong.
“This is the biggest race in the world and winning it is incredible.” Knight’s Choice is trained by Australian John Symonds and New Zealand-born Sheila Laxon. It was the first win in the Spring classic for Symonds and the second for Laxon who trained Ethereal to win in 2001.
“We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t th.