Melbourne Cup winner Robbie Dolan and his family were pictured walking through the paddock at Flemington on Tuesday with huge grins on their faces after the Irishman won Australia’s big race.
In heartwarming scenes, Dolan and his partner Christine Duffy laughed and smiled as they wheeled their daughter, Maisie, through the grounds at the Flemington racecourse on a pink suitcase.
Earlier in the day, the jockey pulled off the incredible feat, winning the Melbourne Cup aboard $81 outsider Knight’s Choice, who pipped favourites Buckaroo, Vauban and Onesmoothoperator to clinch the stunning victory.
Dolan had also notably performed on The Voice two years ago, where he successfully performed in front of Rita Ora and Keith Urban.
The 28-year-old would advance to the quarter-final stages of the competition before being knocked out.
But during his time on the reality television show, the jockey and his partner Christine had welcomed their first daughter into the world.
They had revealed that their baby girl was born 15 weeks prematurely in April 2022, with The Daily Telegraph reporting that Maisie had been left fighting for her life.
Weighing only 670g at birth, Maisie had been delivered by an emergency C-section at the Liverpool Hospital, with Robbie stating that it had been ‘a bit of a shock’.
Thankfully, Maisie and mum appeared to make a recovery, with both being pictured on Channel Nine’s live feed of the race, smiling and celebrating while next to father and husband, Robbie.
Back in 2022, Robbie paid thanks to all the doctors, nurses and medical professionals for the care they provided his daughter, who is now two years old.
‘100 days ago I sat in the corner of Liverpool NICU as the doctors and nurses worked on little Maisie,’ he wrote in a post on Instagram.
Jockey Robbie Dolan celebrated his Melbourne Cup win alongside his partner Christine Duffy and their daughter Maisie on Tuesday
Earlier, Dolan clinched a sensational victory on $81 outsider Knight’s Choice in the Melbourne Cup
It comes after Dolan’s two-year-old daughter Maisie had been born prematurely, with the family going through a tough ordeal following her birth
‘I have never felt so helpless in my whole life.
‘What she has done since then is nothing short of amazing. She is on the home stretch now and @clduffy and I are hoping to have her home in the next couple of weeks. Thank you for all the messages of support from everyone including our amazing friends and family who have helped us so much along the way. #MircaleMaisie.’
Dolan admitted he started to tear up when seeing his family after the race, having also not known that his father Bobby was also going to be at Flemington for the race.
‘I kept it together really well until I came back in the mounting yard and saw my dad, Christine and little Maisie. I just bawled my eyes out,’ Dolan told Sky Racing.
Maisie had spent 110 days in intensive care before she was allowed home after her birth.
Both parents admitted their pride and elation that their daughter would be in the Flemington stands to watch her father produce a win for the ages.
‘There will be 100,000 people there on Tuesday and she will be right in the middle of it, although she won’t have much of an idea what’s going on,’ Dolan added.
‘I was always confident that she was going to be OK, you have to be optimistic. She is a trooper, she is tougher than what I am and she is going well.’
Christine was seen holding Maisie after the race and said that while it had been a tough ride to get to Flemington, her husband’s feats had all paid off.
‘Very proud. This has been a long time….It’s all paid off…it is all very hustle and bustle,’ she said.
The young couple welcomed their daughter back in 2022 but Maisie was born 15 weeks early and had to spend 110 days in intensive care
Dolan, meanwhile, had previously stated that he would have to sensationally give up racing if he ever won Australia’s big race.
But amid the celebrations, Dolan backtracked on those comments, stating: ‘I won’t be giving up. That feeling was too good.
‘I can’t believe it. I watched all the Melbourne Cups of the last 40 years last night and I thought my best chance was 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.’
