Retirement could be back on the agenda for Melbourne Cup-winning trainers John Symons and Sheila Laxon, but victorious jockey Robbie Dolan isn’t going anywhere.
At least not yet.
Irish expat Dolan – from County Kildare, west of Dublin – arrived in Australia eight years ago and fell in love with the country.
The 28-year-old’s stunning ride aboard 80-1 shot Knight’s Choice on his Cup debut at Flemington on Tuesday has cemented the relationship.
“I was young and immature and I probably needed to go somewhere to expand my experience,” Dolan said of his move to the other side of the world.
“I planned on coming for one year and I’ve been here for eight and now I’ve won a Melbourne Cup.
“I probably don’t see myself going home anytime soon.”
Dolan was born into racing – his father Bobby worked in Ireland for two-time Cup-winning trainer Dermot Weld for 26 years.
But he hadn’t sat on a horse until at least his mid-teens and had a strained relationship with the sport, at one stage turning to music as a possible new career.
The talented singer appeared on The Voice in 2022 and was also employed to sing on a Cup-themed cruise ship, where a chance meeting with Laxon spawned a relationship that ultimately reaped huge rewards.
Dolan approached Laxon, who famously became the first female trainer to win the Cup with Ethereal in 2001, and the rest is history.
“Sheila was there with the Melbourne Cup. I met her and got a photo with her,” Dolan said.
“Now we have won the freaking Melbourne Cup. It has got to be a movie … surely.”
Producers of the Knight’s Choice fairytale script would have no shortage of sliding doors moments to work with, including Symons and Laxon’s decision to move to Queensland seven years ago.
The pair arrived on the Sunshine Coast with plans to retire, but never quite made the call.
“Some of the owners said can you finish with these horses, then we won a big race on Magic Millions Day and we bought some yearlings and kept on going,” Symons said.
“People with us for a long period of time have kept pushing.
“We don’t spend a lot of money at the yearling sales, but we keep finding horses.”
Connections of Knight’s Choice also faced a dilemma when they refused a $2.3 million offer from Hong Kong for the horse after he won the Winx Guineas (1600m) on the Sunshine Coast last winter.
Knight’s Choice had cost $85,000 as a yearling and few would have blamed the owners for selling.
But they refused and hatched a plan with Symons and Laxon to chase one of Australian racing’s greatest prizes.
“(Owner) Cameron (Bain) knocked back quite a sizeable offer the media have kept reminding us about, that horses don’t come out and win that sort of money,” Symons said at the winners’ post-race press conference.
“Can someone please write, for him and his dad, this is the pinnacle – and what about his decision now?
“He’s turned $2.3 million into whatever the first prize-money is today.”
Knight’s Choice earned $4.4 million for his win – from an $8.56 million Cup pool – while connections also got their hands on the famous three-handled trophy, worth another $750,000.
It took the five-year-old gelding’s career prize-money to $5.84 million.
