How Robbie Dolan and Knight's Choice avoided 60-year curse after pre-race twist in Melbourne Cup

Winning jockey Robbie Dolan stunned the horse racing world having stormed home on Knight's Choice to win the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday - and a late scratching meant the duo avoided a disastrous and unlucky barrier. Dolan hung in the middle of the pack for most of the race at Flemington before defying the $101 odds to storm home and win in a photo-finish.

Dolan, his partner Christine and father Bobby were in tears after the race celebrating the shock victory with beautiful details emerging about their journey to Melbourne. However, things could have been different for Dolan and his winning mare if a late scratching didn't occur.

Trust In You was originally drawn in barrier five, which has produced a record eight Melbourne Cup victories in its prestigious history. Knight's Choice was drawn in barrier six, which has produced just five winners and none for 60 years. A horse hasn't won from barrier six since 1965 when Littler Fingers won The Race That Stops The Nation.

Only a day out from the 2024 race, Athabascan was scratched from the Melbourne Cup and all horses moved up a number in the barrier. This saw Knight's Choice shift from barrier six to barrier five, which has historically been much luckier.

And winning it for the first time from barrier five since 2013, Dolan made sure it continued the misery for horses in barrier six. Kerrin McEvoy and Absurde were in barrier six on Tuesday, and many believe the jockey blew a golden chance to win. Barriers 7, 12, 19 and 23 will remain as the least successful barriers for at least another year.

Robbie Dolan's stunning claim ahead of Melbourne Cup

Knight's Choice jockey Dolan joked before the race he might not feature in another Melbourne Cup if he defied the odds and experts to win the $8 million race. And only moments after winning the race Dolan was overjoyed and said he would be returning next year to soak up the atmosphere.

"I won't be giving up. That feeling was too good," he said in the post-race interview. You have to go back as far as 2013 when the last favourite won the great race as jockey Damien Oliver claimed his third Cup on the Gai Waterhouse-trained Fiorente.

“I can’t believe it,” Dolan added. “I watched all the Melbourne Cups of the last 40 years last night and I thought my best chance were if I could get him to stay the trip and hopefully I could rattle home. He just proved everybody wrong. This is the biggest race in the world and winning it is incredible.”

Australian John Symonds and New Zealand-born Sheila Laxon train Knight’s Choice were confident they could win the race, despite the bookmakers odds. A Knight's Choice was Symonds' first win, while it was the second for Laxon who trained Ethereal in 2001.

“We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think we could win,” Symonds said. “What a great ride by Robbie. He took the risks, he went through the pack. I was worried he got further back than we talked about but it was a great ride and what a thrill.”

Knight's Choice defies $101 odds at Melbourne Cup

While Dolan and Knight's Choice won from a historically favourable barrier, the experts picks for the Melbourne Cup didn't perform as expected. Knight's Choice and Warp Speed came over the top and left Okita Soushi in third. Jamie Kah on Okita Soushi came agonisingly close to replicating Michelle Payne's 2015 victory, but fell behind a fast-finishing Warp Speed.

Absurde managed to run from the back of the field to finish in fifth, but ran a peculiar race. Vauban once again entered the 2024 Melbourne Cup as favourite, similar to last year, but was never in the hunt having finished 11th.

Since Makybe Diva stormed home for her unprecedented third straight Melbourne Cup as favourite in 2005, only Fiorente as favourite has won the great race in that time. No matter which way you look at it, two favourites winning the Cup in 19 years is not great odds.