- A packed house of over 90,000 crammed into Flemington for the cup
- A tight field of 23 horses took on the gut-busting 3200m circuit
- Outside shocked the field with a thrilling victory
Rank outsider Knight’s Choice has clamed the 2024 Melbourne Cup in a photo finish, beating Japanese raider Warp Speed by a nose.
Irish jockey Robbie Dolan powered the 64-1 shot to victory, crashing past Warp Speed and third-place getter Okita Soushi.
Knight’s Choice beats Warp Speed in a photo finish to win the 2024 Melbourne Cup
‘It is incredible. I can’t believe it. I don’t even know what to say,’ Dolan 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.
‘I can’t put it into words. It is the biggest race in the world. I have my family here and my partner Christine, our little baby Maisy, and my dad flew over from Ireland and now you have me in tears.’
While the capacity crowd at Flemington was stunned by the result, trainer John Symons said it came as no shock to him.
‘We wouldn’t have been here if we didn’t think we could,’ he said.
‘What a great ride by Robbie. I took therisk, went through the pack. I was worried. He got further back than we talked about, but great ride. What a thrill. What a thrill.
‘Look, you know, you work with these horses 24/7, and you know where you have got them, and you would be disappointed if he didn’t run a good race.
‘You know, what position – top five in a race like this, you have to walk away happy. To win it, it is a dream come true.’
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