Former 'The Voice' Contestant Robbie Dolan Wins The Melbourne Cup

The worlds of music and horse racing have combined in a strange way, with the winning jockey in this year’s Melbourne Cup race being revealed as a former contestant on The Voice.

On Tuesday, November 5th, the Melbourne Cup took place as part of the annual Spring Racing Carnival, with Knight’s Choice emerging victorious on the day.

However, horse racing appears to be just one of the passions for the winning jockey, Irish-born Robbie Dolan, who had previously competed as a contestant on the Australian edition of The Voice in 2022.

As TV Tonight reports, Dolan (who moved to Australia in 2016) appeared on the series two years back, joining Rita Ora’s team alongside eventual winner Lachie Gill.

During his time on the show, he performed songs such as James Bay's Let It Go, Lewis Capaldi's Before You Go, and Miley Cyrus' Wrecking Ball, before his singoff performance of The Script's Breakeven (which saw him going head-to-head with Gill), resulted in his elimination.

Speaking to the publication following his winning race, Dolan noted it was an unexpected victory, but an appreciated one nonetheless.

“It is incredible. I can’t believe it. I don’t even know what to say,” he said. “I watched every Melbourne Cup far the last 40 years.

“I thought my best chance was to get him to stay the trip and hopefully he can run home and do the quick sectionals he can on a good track and he proved everybody wrong,” he said of his race.

When asked of his plans to celebrate the win, Dolan simply told TV Tonight he’ll “be singing tonight with a few beers”.

In a somewhat fitting occurrence, this isn’t the first time that Dolan’s singing talents have bled over into the world of horse racing, with the Irishman having previously performed at the Cox Plate in Melbourne following his elimination from The Voice.

Appearing at the event back in 2022, his song choice was apt for the day, covering Daryl Braithwaite’s version of The Horses at the time.