Melbourne Cup winning jockey Robbie Dolan all smiles after Eye Liner triumph on Oughton

Robbie Dolan was confident Oughton could win the Eye Liner Stakes and the six-year-old delivered just that in the feature event at Ipswich on Saturday.

Irish jockey Robbie Dolan rides six-year-old gelding Oughton to victory in the $200,000 Listed Eye Liner Stakes (1350m) at Ipswich on Saturday, June 21, 2025. Picture: Grant Peters, Trackside Photography

Robbie Dolan has already won a miracle Melbourne Cup but he declared Saturday’s Eye Liner Stakes triumph was like winning a Melbourne Cup for trainer Melissa Kelly.

Dolan, who won last year’s Melbourne Cup aboard Queensland bolter Knight’s Choice, has been telling anyone who will listen that Oughton would be tough to beat in the Listed Eye Liner at Ipswich.

Oughton, who at one stage spent a stint racing in Hong Kong, was sent out $8 and Dolan powered the gelding home over Sha Of Gomer ($20) which had looked like winning until the final strides.

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Dolan was front and centre at Ipswich last November when he ventured there to ride only two days after his famous Melbourne Cup win.

The Irishman spent almost as much time signing autographs, posing for pictures and talking to the media that day than he did riding horses.

But it was all business on Saturday and Dolan felt like he had a golden chance on Oughton after his effort to finish fifth behind Front Page in the Group 2 Moreton Cup.

He overcame some headaches in the run to score on Oughton but was tickled pink for Gold Coast trainer Kelly.

“That means a lot to this stable - that’s their Melbourne Cup,” Dolan said.

“He’s had a lot of problems over the years, this horse.

You really ought to know... that Oughton loves @IpswichTurfClub, and he wins the Listed Eye Liner Stakes for Melissa Kelly and @ZRKD! 💪@RaceQLDpic.twitter.com/JreJrkfOKB

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 21, 2025

“He came back from Hong Kong and it didn’t go to plan in the race today.

“I got smashed coming out of the barriers and so I needed luck and I got it.

“I ended up down the rail, but I could see (favourite) Warnie down in front of me and I had my eyes set on him.

“To be honest, once I got to the outside, albeit he wanted to lay in, he found the line very good.“

Warne, the $2.45 Ciaron-Maher trained favourite, was coasting in the run under Regan Bayliss.

But he never got clear air at a vital time and went to the line with plenty of petrol in the tank, finishing fifth to be beaten two lengths.

Kelly said Oughton would have enjoyed the win just as much as she did.

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“He gets a little bit cocky this horse,” Kelly said.

“He knows when he’s run and when he’s run a good race and when he has won.

“Before his last run he was just a little bit soft because he was a month between runs and he just knocked up.

“We knew he was going in a lot fitter today.”

Jeff Dunn, who trained runner-up Sha Of Gomer, almost conjured the win and it would have been a fairytale as his partner Rikki Jamieson was riding.

Sha Of Gomer was formerly trained by Chris Waller but was having his fourth run for Dunn who trains at Beaudesert.

Originally published as Melbourne Cup winning jockey Robbie Dolan all smiles after Eye Liner triumph on Oughton