The Australia-trained gelding Knight’s Choice has won the US$5.6 million Melbourne Cup, Australia’s premier horse race at odds of 80-1.

Previously, the closest Queensland may have come to claiming a Melbourne Cup winner was in 1943 when Dark Felt was born and bred on the Darling Downs before being trained to Cup glory by Victorian Ray Webster. History-maker Knight’s Choice hardly comes from a regal background.

The 2024 Melbourne Cup produced a fairytale finish as Queensland raider Knight’s Choice stormed home to claim victory in a thrilling photo finish. Ridden by a jubilant Robbie Dolan, the 90/1 outsider defied the odds to pip Japanese challenger Warp Speed at the post.

Knight’s Choice claimed Lexus Melbourne Cup gold as the European raiders failed to fire in the Flemington feature.Ireland and Britain appeared to have a strong challenge for the two-mile contest with Harry Eustace’s Bendigo Cup winner Sea King and the Brian Ellison-trained Geelong Cup hero Onesmoothoperator joined by Willie Mullins’ pair of Vauban and Absurde,

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he personally backs a ban, but ultimately it is a decision for Racing Minister Winston Peters. It used to be the race that stopped two nations - now there is divided opinion over whether it is the race that needs to be stopped for reasons of animal cruelty.

Knight's Choice has won Australia's famous Melbourne Cup, in a dramatically close race which went down to the final few metres. It was Irish jockey Robbie Dolan's first time in the event, but the second win for New Zealand horse trainer Sheila Laxon.