Robbie Dolan to ride record setter at Callaghan Park on Valentine’s Day.
Published 31 January 2025
Melbourne Cup winning jockey Robbie Dolan will win plenty of hearts on Valentine’s Day in Rockhampton with his decision to ride at Callaghan Park on Friday 14th February.
Dolan has been booked to ride John Wigginton’s record-setting filly Better Than Words in the QTIS Jewel Qualifier 3YO Plate (1100m) in a fortnight and he is keen to fill up his book with other rides at the meeting.
To have Dolan ride in Rockhampton with the success of last year’s Melbourne Cup win on Knight’s Choice still fresh in everyone’s minds, is a real coup for the RJC’s Valentine’s Day promotion.
Wigginton said he was pleased to engage Dolan for his filly, who looks to be a go-ahead racehorse.
In 164 editions of the Melbourne Cup, we have seen a fair number of surprise winners, but in recent decades there have not been many upsets bigger than Knight’s Choice’s win in the race that stops a nation.
For Dolan on board Knight’s Choice, the biggest win of his career was a shock to everyone at Flemington — including him, but the hard-working jockey can now dine on the success for the rest of his life.
Based in south-east Queensland, the Irish-raised Dolan is a big drawcard for racing, particularly when he ventures to tracks outside the metropolitan area.
The jockey rode at last year’s The Archer and Rockhampton Cup meetings, months before he won the Melbourne Cup and was the Rockhampton Jockey Club’s ambassador at the Rockhampton Cup events.
Rocky’s QTIS Jewel carries prizemoney of $43,000 for QTIS fillies, and the winner of the race, so long as otherwise eligible, is granted exempt free status from the ballot for the 2025, $500,000 Three-Year-Old QTIS Jewel to be run at the Gold Coast on Saturday 8 March.
Better Than Words smashed a local track record for 1100m, established nine years ago, with a last to first triumph in Thursday’s QTIS 3YO Handicap. Producing a huge finish the three-year-old rounded up her opposition quickly. The John Wigginton trained daughter of Better Than Ready scored by more than 3 lengths from stablemate Power Of Katie (Warwick Satherley) with Ask Me Mate (Ash Butler) close up in third place. Better Than Words who only has raced seven times clocked 61.89s for the sprint, eclipsing the previous best for the distance by more than a second (6 lengths), which was set by Legal Procedure on a Good 4 track in 2016.
The RJC is sharing the love at Callaghan Park on Valentine’s Day and is inviting guests to bring that special someone for a fun day at the track. Patrons can order a hot platter for two or a dessert platter for two, and enjoy a complimentary glass of beer, wine or bubbles.
The Melbourne Cup winning jockey riding here will be a heart-filled bonus for everyone on race day. For more details www.callaghanpark.com.au.
– David Aldred – RJC CEO
Photo Credit: ABC News
