Former The Voice contestant wins Melbourne Cup

Years after his voice inspired three judges to turn their chairs, a former reality contestant has nabbed an even bigger win.

A contestant who placed in the top 24 of The Voice in 2022 has celebrated an even bigger win, riding home the Melbourne Cup winner.

Robbie Dolan, who was born in Ireland and already a keen jockey, moved to Australia in 2016 when his career prospects were looking thin across the pond.

“I came here eight years ago with an ambition of just having a crack,” the 28-year-old told the Today show on Wednesday morning.

“Really just having a go, working hard and seeing what happens – and I’m sitting here with the Melbourne Cup.”

Jockey Robbie Dolan tries his hand at singing, taking on the blind auditions on The Voice.

Though his sights were always set on horse racing, before he became a Melbourne Cup-winning jockey, Dolan was a contestant on The Voice.

In 2022, the Irishman belted his heart out on the hit show, where his rendition of Let It Go by James Bay during the blind auditions resulted in all three chairs turning around.

Although he was picked in coach Rita Ora’s team and progressed into the top 24, Dolan was eliminated after a tense round in the sing-offs.

He made it through to the sing-offs, where he was eliminated.

That wasn’t the first time lucky listeners would hear him sing; that same year, Dolan performed a cracking version of Daryl Braithwaite’s The Horses at the 2022 Cox Plate.

Foreshadowing, anyone?

Despite his strong vocal abilities, his horse riding skills may take the cake.

Both his father and grandfather were successful riders in Ireland; it seems that racing is in his blood.

What a feeling for Dolan after winning the Melbourne Cup on Knight’s Choice. Picture: Jason Edwards

Dolan kickstarted his racing career at the age of 17 in Ireland, where he participated in a nine-month training program and worked as an apprentice for about three seasons before trying his luck in Australia.

And what luck he had.

On Tuesday afternoon, Dolan mounted the five-year-old gelding Knight’s Choice, trained by John Symons and Sheila Laxon, and sat behind the gates, eagerly waiting for the race to begin. It was a tough start for the jockey, but the final stretch of the race was where things picked up; 20m before the finish line, Knight’s Choice found a gap between the horses, pushing past Zardozi and nudging Warp Speed out of the winning spot.

The former Voice contestant is now a Melbourne Cup champion. Picture: Jason Edwards

What is the key to winning the Cup, according to Dolan? “A lot of luck,” he told Today. “You know, I just needed the runs to open in front of me, and thankfully they did.”

Plus, it helps when you've got a “good little horse” like Knight’s Choice. “He’s an underrated little horse and proved a lot of people wrong yesterday.”

As for Dolan and his pipes? He may need to give them a bit of a rest for the time being.

“My voice is half gone from last night,” he said.

Originally published as Former The Voice contestant wins Melbourne Cup