Chasing Glory: The Road to Stradbroke Season | Robbie Dolan

By Dylan Mutu

From Ireland to memorable Group 1 victories, and even the singing stage, Robbie Dolan has just about done it all throughout his short time in Australia.

Now a father and family man, the jockey is eager to make his mark in his new chapter here in the Sunshine State and hopes the Queensland Racing Carnival will be his opportunity to do so.

Seeking a change of scenery late last year, Dolan thought that Queensland would be a good place to reignite his racing career after things were starting to slow down in Sydney.

And, since arriving in Brisbane last October, the Irish-born hoop hasn’t looked back, settling in well with his partner Christine and their daughter Maisie.  

“Yeah, Queensland has been great so far,” Dolan said.

“It was a decision I made with my family. I just said I'd come up and give it a crack for a few months and see how I go.

“And to be honest, I can't see myself moving away anytime soon. We’re loving the lifestyle here, it’s very chill – it's a beautiful place to live.”

Born in Kildare, Ireland, the 28-year-old had the same “see what happens” attitude when moving to Australia from the Emerald Isle seven years ago.

With no plans, a backpack, and a small amount of money to get him by, Dolan was able to establish himself as a prominent rider in New South Wales - adding not only a metropolitan and provincial apprentice championship to his résumé, but also two captivating Group 1 victories.

“I decided to come over (from Ireland) for a six-month stint, just to sort of broaden my experience in racing,” Dolan said.

“And well, I’ve been here for seven years now, so I’m happy about how it’s all worked out.”

You could say that Dolan's optimistic mindset and belief in his riding skills played a significant role in thrusting him to one of the top jockeys throughout his time in the Premier State.

And, that same approach was what the Irishman adopted upon entering the Queensland jockey ranks last year while also leaning on a couple of his close friends to put him in good stead.

“When I was first coming up here, I gave Ben Thompson a call and asked him if whether he thought there was availability for a lightweight jockey, and he pointed me in the right direction,” Dolan said.

“I was put in contact with Chris Munce from an owner I’ve ridden for plenty of times and ‘Muncey’ has been great, letting me ride plenty of trackwork and trials and we’ve also had a fair bit of success together, which has been good.

“It’s pretty tough you know, when you first move somewhere, and you’re the new kid on the block.

“But I've always been sort of cocky I suppose, so you just have to come in and do your job and let the results speak for themselves.”

And that was certainly what he did, announcing himself with two Stakes-level victories in his first month through Extremist and Beau Dazzler for the Rob Heathcote and Tony and Maddysen Sears stables, respectively.

Since then, Dolan has managed to boot home 57 victories – his best haul since 2019 – across the state for the 2023/24 season, while also ticking over the 300 career wins marker.

Despite being pleased with his current form, his hunger for more is evident, eager to return to the big stage and add a third Group 1 win to his tally.

“It's a bit of a drug, racing - if you ride one winner, all you want to do is ride two winners, and so on and so forth,” Dolan said.

“When I rode my first Group 1, all I wanted to do was ride a second one.

“I'd love to ride another one just to prove the first two weren’t a fluke.”

With the business end of Stradbroke Season imminent, Dolan is particularly excited about partnering a rising galloper who he thinks has Group 1 potential this winter.

“Yeah, I’m really looking forward to sitting up on Can’t Recall One for Stuart Kendrick. I trialed him a couple of weeks ago at Deagon and he was very impressive,” Dolan said.

“I won his first start on him and unfortunately got suspended for his second run, but Michael Rodd filled in and he won very impressively again.

“He is (Can’t Recall One) going to go towards the Sires’ and then probably into the JJ Atkins.”

As of Thursday afternoon, Can’t Recall One remains a $15 chance for the BRC Sires’ Produce Stakes.

Jumping from barrier 14, the undefeated two-year-old will face a tough task, going up against Group 1-winning colt Broadsiding from the Godolphin team.

But whatever happens this Saturday and throughout the rest of the Queensland Racing Carnival, Dolan seems content just being a part of the excitement, and if things happen to go his way, that's a bonus.

“My ambition is this winter is to just sort of implement myself as a consistent, winning jockey each Saturday,” Dolan said.

“You really just sense the buildup starting to happen now with the good horses starting to come around, along with the good jockeys - there’s a real buzz in the air.

“It’s just great to be involved. Hopefully, we can pick up a couple of lightweight chances in those (Group 1) handicaps.

Whether Dolan captures Group 1 success this winter, is yet to be seen.

However, we do know that Dolan is putting his best foot forward, driven by the inspiration of fatherhood to excel in his craft.

“I think being a dad has motivated me a lot more to really just stick my head down and get stuck in, but also realise that you have more important things in your life than the losers,” Dolan said.

“It sort of motivates you to win but also it keeps you level-headed when you lose, knowing that you just need to keep your head forward and keep going.”