MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — The Australia-trained gelding Knight's Choice has won the 164th running of Australia's premier horse race the Melbourne Cup at odds of 80-1.
The unfancied five-year-old was well back turning for home in the two mile handicap at the Flemington racecourse. But Ireland-born jockey Robbie Dolan threaded a path through the field of 23 horses to win in a photo finish from the Japan-trained runner Warp Speed.
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Knight's Choice, second right, ridden by Robbie Dolan, races to the finish line to win the Melbourne Cup horse race ahead of Warp Speed, center, ridden by Akira Sugawara, at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Knight's Choice, right, ridden by Robbie Dolan, races to finish to win the Melbourne Cup horse race at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Knight's Choice, right, ridden by Robbie Dolan, crosses the finish line to win the Melbourne Cup horse race ahead of Warp Speed, ridden by Akira Sugawara, at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Knight's Choice, second right, ridden by Robbie Dolan, races to the finish line to win the Melbourne Cup horse race ahead of Warp Speed, center, ridden by Akira Sugawara, at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Jockey Robbie Dolan, left, celebrates with a fan after riding Knight's Choice to win the Melbourne Cup horse race at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Jockey Robbie Dolan celebrates after riding Knight's Choice to win the Melbourne Cup horse race at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Knight's Choice, right, ridden by Robbie Dolan, crosses the finish line to win the Melbourne Cup horse race ahead of Warp Speed, ridden by Akira Sugawara, at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
The race has prizemoney of US$5.6 million and drew horses from Ireland, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
The 28-year-old Dolan was based in County Kildare in Ireland before moving his family to Queensland, Australia eight years ago.
He made an early mark with two Group 1 wins. But until Tuesday he might have been better known downunder as a singer after his appearance on the Australian version of The Voice television talent show in 2022.
His first ride in the Cup was made more special when he was surprised Tuesday morning by his father Bobby who had secretly traveled from Ireland to be at Flemington.
“I can’t believe it,” he said. “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. I didn’t know what to expect but I feel like I’ve ridden it 10 times because I have ridden it in my head 100 times.
“To win it with (my father Bobby) here and my little daughter Maisy and my partner Christine ... I’m going to cry again. ”
Knight’s Choice is trained by Australian John Symonds and New Zealand-born Sheila Laxon. It was the first win in the Spring classic for Symonds and the second for Laxon who trained Ethereal to win 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.”
The four-year-old Australian mare Zardozi and six-year-old stallion Okita Soushi were vying for the lead as the field approached the winning post.
But Knight’s Choice and Warp Speed dashed between the leaders and Knight’s Choice held on to win by a nose from Warp Speed.
Okita Soushi which held on for third place was ridden by Jamie Kah, one of four female riders in the race. That was the largest contingent of female jockeys in the race’s history.
The field was reduced to 23 runners Monday when the Australia-trained runner Athabascan was scratched after a vet check showed the six-year-old trained by John O’Shea and Tom Carlton had a cardiac arrhythmia.
The Melbourne Cup is known locally as The Race That Stops A Nation as Australians traditionally stop work to watch the race which is staged annually at 3pm on the first Tuesday in November.
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Knight's Choice, right, ridden by Robbie Dolan, races to finish to win the Melbourne Cup horse race at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Knight's Choice, right, ridden by Robbie Dolan, crosses the finish line to win the Melbourne Cup horse race ahead of Warp Speed, ridden by Akira Sugawara, at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Knight's Choice, second right, ridden by Robbie Dolan, races to the finish line to win the Melbourne Cup horse race ahead of Warp Speed, center, ridden by Akira Sugawara, at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Jockey Robbie Dolan, left, celebrates with a fan after riding Knight's Choice to win the Melbourne Cup horse race at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Jockey Robbie Dolan celebrates after riding Knight's Choice to win the Melbourne Cup horse race at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
Knight's Choice, right, ridden by Robbie Dolan, crosses the finish line to win the Melbourne Cup horse race ahead of Warp Speed, ridden by Akira Sugawara, at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Asanka Brendon Ratnayake)
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump was booed loudly by fans inside Madison Square Garden when he was shown on video screens during the national anthem as he became the first sitting president to attend an NBA Finals game.
Chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” echoed through the arena as Avery Wilson sang “The Star-Spangled Banner," but they they gave way to boos moments later as Trump was displayed on the jumbo screens giving a military salute. The jeers ended when the U.S. flag followed him on the screens, and fans cheered when New York Knicks players were shown. Mentions of the San Antonio Spurs also elicited vociferous boos.
Trump watched Game 3 from Knicks owner James Dolan’s suite, along with granddaughter Kai, personal adviser Boris Epshteyn and Cabinet secretaries Lee Zeldin, Sean Duffy and Doug Burgum. He sat next to Dolan for the first quarter and spent part of the second talking to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bruce Blakeman.
Trump’s Marine One helicopter flew from his home in New Jersey and landed near Wall Street before his motorcade made its way up through Manhattan and to the arena roughly an hour before tipoff. He encountered a handful of people making rude gestures, and outside the area, one group held signs saying “Trump must go.”
He settled into Dolan's suite shortly afterward.
During the afternoon before Trump's arrival, the New York Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service set up a large perimeter surrounding Madison Square Garden. Fans lined up to get inside the arena more than four hours before tipoff, in a scene more closely resembling New Year’s Eve in Times Square than the usual leadup to a basketball game.
They were required to provide a ticket or pass to get past various checkpoints, along with going through a Transportation Security Administration-style magnetometer. Secret Service personnel and police were positioned at every corner and in large numbers. Daily commuters, tourists visiting Manhattan and fans were all confounded at various times as they tried to maneuver the security.
After traveling from his home in Florida for the game, Knicks fan Greg Weldon said the main inconvenience faced so far has been the lack of information.
“We’ve asked so many cops, secret service, guys with machine guns, what to do, where should we go,” he said. “Nobody knows.”
Knicks coach Mike Brown and Spurs counterpart Mitch Johnson downplayed any concept of being inconvenienced by the closures and enhanced security because of Trump.
“There’s a lot going on, and I’d much rather be a part of it than not,” Johnson said.
With security stepped up, a watch party outside was canceled, and ticket-holders were not allowed to bring bags inside the Garden. Fans had gathered near the arena to watch games during this playoff run, during which the Knicks have won 13 games in a row to reach the final for the first time since 1999 and move two victories from their first NBA title since 1973.
“We are looking forward to bringing back watch parties for Game 4,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Monday. "But I think New Yorkers are used to presidents coming to town, and they understand that that generally means lockdowns of areas and that’s what you’re going to see tonight at the Garden.”
This is the latest major sporting event Trump has attended during his time as president, and the security measures have created major hassles for fans.
Thousands of fans missed the start of last year’s U.S. Open men’s singles final between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner because of lengthy security lines. Even though the U.S. Tennis Association pushed back the start of the match by a half-hour, many fans still couldn’t get in because added measures meant that they had to go through screening not only when they arrived at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center but again in front of the steps into Arthur Ashe Stadium, where Trump watched from a suite.
Federal law enforcement officials have been reexamining Trump’s security in light of three incidents in the past two years: a shooting at a 2024 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania; the discovery of a man armed with a rifle as Trump played golf in West Palm Beach, Florida, later that year; and the recent shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner.
Asked Sunday his thoughts on Trump attending, Knicks center Mitchell Robinson said: “Cool, I guess. We can still get out there and play (no matter) who’s here and who’s not.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other dignitaries were also at the game, as were Yankees Hall of Famer Derek Jeter and two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Eli Manning of the Giants.
It was already hard enough for Knicks fans to get inside Madison Square Garden because of astronomical ticket prices. The get-in price for a ticket is higher than the average cost of monthly rent in New York, surging over $5,000.
The best seats were listed for tens of thousands of dollars. Mamdani said he bought his ticket, which he said was standing-room-only, for about $1,000 directly from Madison Square Garden.
The difficulty of seeing the game in-person has prompted fans to crowd bars, streets and watch parties all over the city. The watch party near the Garden has become a major event all through the playoffs, but with Trump attending, that event was moved a few blocks away outside the security perimeter, at Bryant Park.
“We improvise,” said Knicks guard Jose Alvarado, who is a New York native. "We're New Yorkers. We’re going to find a way to watch a game, and that’s what we’re doing.”
AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this report.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
President Donald Trump talks with Knicks owner James Dolan during Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
U.S. Secret Service agents and a U.S. Marine brace against the downdraft as a support helicopter lands before Marine One with President Donald Trump aboard, at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport at Pier 6 in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump gestures during the National Anthem as he attends an NBA Finals playoff basketball game between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026, with Kai Trump, left. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President Donald Trump gestures during the National Anthem as he attends an NBA Finals playoff basketball game between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026, with Kai Trump, left, Knicks owner James Dolan and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, right. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
NYPD officers escort the motorcade of President Donald Trump outside of Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
New York Knicks fans wait in line to enter Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
Secret Service agents stand guard in front of Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
The motorcade of President Donald Trump arrives to Madison Square Garden ahead of Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Monday, June 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
A Secret Service agent stands watch outside Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026, as President Donald Trump is set to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
Security fencing is set up outside of Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026, as President Donald Trump is set to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
Security is set up outside of Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026, as President Donald Trump is set to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
FILE - President Donald Trump, center, attends the men's singles final at the U.S. Open tennis tournament, Sept. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)
A traveler tries to navigate the area as stringent security measures are set up outside of Madison Square Garden in New York, Monday, June 8, 2026, as President Donald Trump is set to attend Game 3 of the NBA Finals basketball series between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)
FILE - Donald Trump, right, talks to an unidentified man from the stands at Madison Square Garden during the New York Knicks game against the Dallas Mavericks on Jan. 11, 2006, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
President Donald Trump speaks at Custer Farms in Chippewa Falls, Wis., Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Glen Stubbe)
