Latest news with #RobbieDolan
News.com.au
10-08-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey champion Robbie Dolan won a race during the Shergar Cup jockey series
Melbourne Cup-winning jockey champion Robbie Dolan declared 'it means everything' after securing a win in the Shergar Cup international jockeys' series at Ascot in England. Team Asia edged out Europe to win the teams event, with Dolan's team, Great Britain and Ireland finishing third and the Rest of the World, which boasted champion Australian jockey Hugh Bowman, in fourth place. Bowman won the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle standings, which awards points to the top jockey with 32 points. Brisbane-based Irish jockey Dolan tied for third on 25 points. It was a massive change of scenery for Dolan, whose last ride in Australia was at the Sunshine Coast last Sunday. Despite racing keenly off a muddling pace, Night Breeze came with a sustained run in the straight to score by a half-length in the 2400m contest, providing Dolan with first win at the famous Ascot track. The front-running La Pulga boxed on well under Bowman to finish second, just ahead of Insanity, with Joanna Mason on-board, for Great Britain and Ireland. Dolan, who moved from Ireland to Australia in 2016, hit the limelight last November when steering $91 chance Knight's Choice to an upset victory in the Melbourne Cup at Flemington. 'That's a great buzz,' Dolan said after the win. 'What a track, what an atmosphere. This horse was just primed for this race. 'I dropped my whip but didn't need it. It means everything, that's what it's all about. 'I have my family here, my little daughter (Maisie) is up there somewhere, probably on her iPad, but this horse was in top shape today and was never getting beat. 'He is a pretty talented horse. I was wide for a little bit, but he was in a rhythm, so I didn't mind that. Big result for GB & Ireland ðŸ'š Night Breeze wins the Shergar Cup Challenge under Robbie Dolan at @Ascot! — Sky Sports Racing (@SkySportsRacing) August 9, 2025 'Once he got in the slipstream turning into the bend, I clicked him up through his gears and he was pretty good. 'This is unbelievable, what a great day. I rode for Adrian Keatley in the second and gave it a terrible ride, so it was a bit of a relief to ride a winner in the third. 'That's racing, everything isn't great all the time, but when you ride a winner, you've really got to enjoy it as you never know when the next one will be.' Winning trainer Ian Williams then asked if 'we could get a song' out of Dolan, who appeared as a contestant on The Voice in Australia in 2022. On whether he would sing later, Dolan said: 'There is always a chance. 'I've got a weird story, they'll make a movie about it one day. I like doing a bit of music, and music and racing go hand in hand – it's the entertainment business.' Dolan talked about the honour of making his debut in the Shergar Cup Challenge in the lead-up to the teams event. 'Winning the Melbourne Cup definitely changed my life,' he said. 'It has made me want more and to get that feeling again. I would not be competing in the Shergar Cup if I had not won that race.'
The Guardian
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
All change at revamped Shergar Cup as Ladies team replaced for Ascot card
A rejigged format for the Shergar Cup at Ascot sees an end to the Ladies team that had been part of the contest since its inception and a move to what are described as more 'geographicallybased' teams representing Asia, Great Britain & Ireland, Europe and the Rest of the World. It remains a little contrived at times – Robbie Dolan, for instance, last year's Melbourne Cup-winning jockey, moved to Australia nearly a decade ago but is in the GB & Ireland lineup – but it is aimed at a slightly different audience to the remainder of Ascot's programme and there are even more unfamiliar faces than usual this time around. Five of the 12 riders – Karis Teetan, Delphine Santiago, Katie Davis, Suraj Nerradu and Dario Di Tocco – will be riding in Britain for the first time, while Ryusei Sakai, Mirai Iwata, Per-Anders Gråberg and Dolan have had fewer than two-dozen rides in Britain between them. Perhaps as a result, the betting market likes the chances of the 'home' side, with GB & Ireland – Hollie Doyle, Joanna Mason and Dolan – priced up at around 6-4 for the win. There is a wealth of experience in all four teams, however, and the Rest of the World – Davis, Teetan and Hugh Bowman – could be a better bet at around 9-4 to make the most of several decent chances throughout the six-race card. Four of Bowman's five rides, meanwhile, are priced up at 6-1 or shorter, and he is a solid 9-2 shot to be the day's top points scorer. Ascot 1.35 First-time cheekpieces drew an abrupt return to form from Venture Capital at Hamilton last weekend and, while headgear does not always get the same result second time around, anything close to that level would give Karis Teetan a fine chance to make his first ride in Britain a winning one. Ascot 2.10 The lightly raced La Vita Nova ran well over a mile and five furlongs last time but is likely to improve further for this return to two miles and can give Jessica Harrington a second success in this contest in three runnings. Haydock 2.25 David O'Meara's new recruit Sunfall was in need of the run at Epsom in June but showed plenty of improvement to win her final start last term and is a decent each-way shot at around 10-1 on that form. Ascot 2.45 Ian Williams's Dream Harder was a close second in this race 12 months ago and ran well off today's mark on his only other start over this course and distance last month. Haydock 3.00 This return to 10 furlongs should do the trick for Haatem, who just lacked the necessary turn of foot in a higher grade over a mile at Ascot last time. Ascot 3.20 Prince Of India has improved by the race in five outings this season and put up another careerbest to quicken more than three lengths clear of a big field at Newmarket's July festival last time. He has further scope for progress even after an 11lb hike in the weights. Ascot: 1.35 Venture Capital 2.10 La Vita Nova (nb) 2.45 Dream Harder 3.20 Prince Of India 3.55 Tenability 4.30 Urban Lion (nap). Newmarket: 1.55 John Barleycorn 2.32 Al Qaysiyya 3.07 Royal Velvet 3.40 Dance To The Music 4.17 The Fingal Raven 4.50 The Crafty Mole. Redcar: 2.02 Valley Ofthe Kings 2.37 Tootsie 3.12 Criminal Shore 3.47 Sugar Hill Babe 4.22 Arlington 5.00 Spectacular Style. Haydock: 2.25 Sunfall 3.00 Haatem 3.35 Something Splendid 4.10 Excellent Believe 4.45 Melissa Honey 5.20 Billyb 5.55 Double Parked. Lingfield: 5.12 Autumn's Breeze 5.47 Wise Counsellor 6.20 Poet 6.52 Just A Girl 7.22 Smooth Silesie 7.52 Comedian Leader. Ayr: 5.35 Ishimentor 6.12 Sixcor 6.42 Tele Red 7.12 Thunderstorm Katie 7.42 Epidavros 8.12 Keep Warm 8.42 Sassy Glory. Newmarket 3.40 The impeccablybred Dance To The Music – a full sister to the Breeders' Cup Mile winner, Space Blues – should take this step into Group Three company in her stride. Ascot 3.55 William Haggas's Tenability was a decisive winner on his handicap debut over course and distance a fortnight ago and will be a winner for Delphine Santiago, France's leading female rider, if anywhere close to that form. Ascot 4.30 Hugh Bowman can round off the Shergar Cup card with a winner on Urban Lion. Jack Channon's four-year-old put up a careerbest to run fifth in the Royal Hunt Cup on the straight course at this track last time, and is just 1lb higher in the weights.
The Irish Sun
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Melbourne Cup winner and The Voice star Robbie Dolan looking to take Ascot by storm at Shergar Cup
SINGING JOCKEY Melbourne Cup winner and The Voice star Robbie Dolan looking to take Ascot by storm at Shergar Cup WHEN three of the four judges on The Voice turned their chairs around for Robbie Dolan, it was like no feeling he'd ever experienced. Dolan had barely finished the second verse of James Bay's 'Let It Go' when they hit their buzzers to put him through to the next round of the Australian version of the hit singing contest. 3 Robbie Dolan won the Melbourne Cup on Knight's Choice (right) last year Credit: AFP 3 The jockey also appeared on The Voice Australia in 2022 Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk 3 Dolan will ride at the Shergar Cup at Ascot on Saturday In the ultimate understatement, he said after finishing his audition: 'That was pretty cool.' Fast forward a few years and he was driving 90-1 shot Knight's Choice to a shock, short-head Melbourne Cup victory. That was a good deal cooler. Since winning the 'race that stops a nation', eight years after he moved Down Under, the Irishman's feet have barely touched the ground. It's a far cry from his early days as a jockey, when he was apprentice to Yorkshire-based trainer Adrian Keighley, who was operating in Ireland at the time, and struggling for his big break. For so many in the racing industry, Australia has become the land of opportunity and it was no different for Co Kildare man Dolan. As it turned out, not just on the riding front. Dolan, 29, said: 'Somebody sent in a video of me singing and one of The Voice producers emailed me and asked me if I'd be interested in going on the show. 'One thing led to another and I got to the next stage and then the next stage, before I knew it I was in the final 10 or 15 singers. "I think 25,000 auditioned and only 100 or so people get to the stage where you sing in front of the judges. I knew I could sing a bit but you've seen it on the X-Factor years ago, people tell you you can sing and they end up being terrible. I didn't want to be that guy! 'Thankfully it went well. Rita Ora was my mentor and she was a legend. The only judge who didn't turn round for me was Keith Urban.' He grinned: 'Do you reckon he'd have turned around for me if the show was filmed after I won the Melbourne Cup?' What a great question. He is definitely getting recognised when he is out in Sydney or Melbourne since his career-defining win last November. Winning the Melbourne Cup is enough of a boost to any jockey's profile, but when a video of Dolan duetting with Ronan Keating after the race went viral, it went to another level. 'That was good craic,' he says. While he still makes a few quid on the side singing, it's the riding that has his full attention and winning Australia's biggest race has had a profound impact. Dolan said: 'The Melbourne Cup has changed my life, it's one of those rare races that's more than just a race. 'There are only a few of them in the world that are like it, the Melbourne Cup, the Arc, the Kentucky Derby. 'I didn't think I'd get the opportunity to ride in it, and then to win it on my first try was very special. 'After the race you get recognised walking around, and it's really driven me to get off my backside and do more, because I want that feeling again. 'I wouldn't be here if I didn't win it, when you win those big races doors open and you have to jump at the opportunities when they come.' By 'here' he means Ascot for the Shergar Cup, where he will ride as part of team GB and Ireland alongside Hollie Doyle and Joanna Mason. He will have five rides in today's unique team competition, which will be broadcast around the globe. He said: 'It's an honour to be here riding against some of the world's best. 'I watched it as a kid growing up, watching the likes of Mick Kinane and Kieran Fallon and Richard Hughes riding here. It means a lot and I can't wait.' He'll have a flying visit back home to Ireland tomorrow before returning to Australia next week. He said: 'I aim to be having a pint of Guinness by 3pm. I haven't had any in Australia. It doesn't travel well.' The same cannot be said of Robbie Dolan. FREE BETS - GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
The Sun
08-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Melbourne Cup winner and The Voice star Robbie Dolan looking to take Ascot by storm at Shergar Cup
WHEN three of the four judges on The Voice turned their chairs around for Robbie Dolan, it was like no feeling he'd ever experienced. Dolan had barely finished the second verse of James Bay's 'Let It Go' when they hit their buzzers to put him through to the next round of the Australian version of the hit singing contest. 3 3 3 In the ultimate understatement, he said after finishing his audition: 'That was pretty cool.' Fast forward a few years and he was driving 90-1 shot Knight's Choice to a shock, short-head Melbourne Cup victory. That was a good deal cooler. Since winning the 'race that stops a nation', eight years after he moved Down Under, the Irishman's feet have barely touched the ground. It's a far cry from his early days as a jockey, when he was apprentice to Yorkshire-based trainer Adrian Keighley, who was operating in Ireland at the time, and struggling for his big break. For so many in the racing industry, Australia has become the land of opportunity and it was no different for Co Kildare man Dolan. As it turned out, not just on the riding front. Dolan, 29, said: 'Somebody sent in a video of me singing and one of The Voice producers emailed me and asked me if I'd be interested in going on the show. 'One thing led to another and I got to the next stage and then the next stage, before I knew it I was in the final 10 or 15 singers. "I think 25,000 auditioned and only 100 or so people get to the stage where you sing in front of the judges. I knew I could sing a bit but you've seen it on the X-Factor years ago, people tell you you can sing and they end up being terrible. I didn't want to be that guy! 'Thankfully it went well. Rita Ora was my mentor and she was a legend. The only judge who didn't turn round for me was Keith Urban.' He grinned: 'Do you reckon he'd have turned around for me if the show was filmed after I won the Melbourne Cup?' What a great question. He is definitely getting recognised when he is out in Sydney or Melbourne since his career-defining win last November. Winning the Melbourne Cup is enough of a boost to any jockey's profile, but when a video of Dolan duetting with Ronan Keating after the race went viral, it went to another level. 'That was good craic,' he says. While he still makes a few quid on the side singing, it's the riding that has his full attention and winning Australia's biggest race has had a profound impact. Dolan said: 'The Melbourne Cup has changed my life, it's one of those rare races that's more than just a race. 'There are only a few of them in the world that are like it, the Melbourne Cup, the Arc, the Kentucky Derby. 'I didn't think I'd get the opportunity to ride in it, and then to win it on my first try was very special. 'After the race you get recognised walking around, and it's really driven me to get off my backside and do more, because I want that feeling again. 'I wouldn't be here if I didn't win it, when you win those big races doors open and you have to jump at the opportunities when they come.' By 'here' he means Ascot for the Shergar Cup, where he will ride as part of team GB and Ireland alongside Hollie Doyle and Joanna Mason. He will have five rides in today's unique team competition, which will be broadcast around the globe. He said: 'It's an honour to be here riding against some of the world's best. 'I watched it as a kid growing up, watching the likes of Mick Kinane and Kieran Fallon and Richard Hughes riding here. It means a lot and I can't wait.' He'll have a flying visit back home to Ireland tomorrow before returning to Australia next week. He said: 'I aim to be having a pint of Guinness by 3pm. I haven't had any in Australia. It doesn't travel well.' The same cannot be said of Robbie Dolan. Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who:
The Australian
01-08-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
Bookmaker reveals the biggest winners and losers in 2024-25
Wagering giant Ladbrokes has released details of the jockeys, trainers and horses who were the biggest winners and losers for punters in the just completed racing season. Melbourne Cup winner Robbie Dolan was the biggest pal of punters, stripping more than $11m from the betting agency's book which was mainly thanks to the Cup win of $91 longshot Knight's Choice. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Punters also filled up by backing Sydney star hoop Tim Clark, who was a $2.3m loser for Ladbrokes over the racing season, while underrated Victorian hoop Jordan Childs was a $1.6m loser for Ladbrokes. By contrast, backing Victorian champion jockey Jamie Melham was a wipe-out for punters with the bookie winning $5.5m from her rides during the season. Punters were unprofitable backing Jamie Melham last season. Picture: Racing Photos via Getty Images Kerrin McEvoy, Joao Moreira and William Pike were also major winners for the betting agency. Punters have to pay the so-called 'J-Mac tax' to back the mounts of superstar Sydney hoop James McDonald who was a $560,000 winner for Ladbrokes during the racing season. Chris Waller might dominate Australian racing but the legendary Sydney trainer was a big winner for Ladbrokes who were more than $11m richer from punters who backed Waller's 2393 runners during the season. • 'I want more Group 1s': Collett hungry for bigger wins after breakout year Other big names such as Ciaron Maher and James Cummings were also major winners for the betting giant. Melbourne Cup legend Sheila Laxon, who trains with husband John Symons, was a major punters' pal as punters who backed her runners during the season scooped more than $12m. It was a figure inflated by the Melbourne Cup fairytale of Knight's Choice, the roughie who became the first Queensland-trained winner in Melbourne Cup history. Punters cashed in backing Robbie Dolan, particularly after his Melbourne Cup success with Knight's Choice. Picture: Getty Images Sydney trainer Bjorn Baker has been airborne in 2024-2025 and bookmakers don't want another season where punters score a total win of $2.8m from his 756 runners in the just finished racing season. Victorians Grahame Begg and Matt Laurie were also strip outs for the Ladbrokes as punters scored more than $2m in profits from each. • Hayes brothers aim to challenge Maher for metro title In terms of horses, Blue Army warrior Zardozi was the biggest loser for Ladbrokes punters who dusted off a combined $1.79m from backing the mare during the season. Buckaroo wasn't far behind, producing a $1.69m loss for punters, while Giga Kick backers contributed a $1.2m profit to the betting agency's book. Knight's Choice was a $12m stripout for Ladbrokes, while superstars Via Sistina, Bella Nipotina and Treasurethe Moment were also major winners for punters. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ WINNERS AND LOSERS FOR PUNTERS ON THE LADBROKES BOOK IN 2024-25 JOCKEYS LOSERS 1 – Jamie Melham -$5,581,866.93 (361 rides) 2 – Kerrin McEvoy -$4,492,367.27 (676 rides) 3 – Joao Moreira -$3,864,933.11 (74 rides) 4 – William Pike -$3,212,143.34 (696 rides) PUNTERS' PALS 1 – Robbie Dolan +$11,054,451.36 (461 rides) 2 – Tim Clark +$2,374,223.91 (541 rides) 3 – Jordan Childs +$1,664,016.45 (594 rides) 4 – Clint Johnston-Porter +$1,106,652.31 (817 rides) TRAINERS LOSERS 1 – Chris Waller -$11,675,709.76 (2393 runners) 2 – Ciaron Maher -$8,601,700.53 (2422 runners) 3 – James Cummings -$7,864,110.95 (680 runners) 4 – Mick Price & Michael Kent Jr -$4,934,186 (873 runners) PUNTERS PALS 1 John Symonds & Sheila Laxon +$12,220,406.60 (98 runners) 2 Bjorn Baker +$2,800,614,27 (756 runners) 3 Graheme Begg +$2,153,303.56 (338 runners) 4 Matt Laurie +2,096,996.61 (338 runners) HORSES LOSERS 1 – Zardozi -$1,799,934.96 (12 starts) 2 – Buckaroo -$1,699,687.77 (9 starts) 3 – Giga Kick -$1,371,569.77 (6 starts) 4 – Vauban -$1,204,264.96 (4 starts) PUNTERS PALS 1 – Knight's Choice +12,406,829 (5 starts) 2 – Via Sistina +3,078,463.52 (9 starts) 3 – Bella Nipotina +$1,814,001.59 (5 starts) 4 – Treasurethe Moment +$1,792,389.19 (9 starts)
