This was a Melbourne Cup finish that no one could have scripted.

The greatest jockey in the country, James McDonald, was sitting on the sidelines; the best horse in the land, Via Sistina, had bypassed the race; the biggest trainers in the country, Chris Waller and Ciaron Maher, were not fighting out the finish; and, yet, a little-known hoop on a horse that no one gave a chance delivered one of the greatest rides in the history of our greatest race.

Warp Speed is pipped at the post by Knight’s Choice.Credit: AP

Robbie Dolan must have felt like a modern-day Moses. He was seven lengths from the lead as the field turned from home, and facing an impossible task. Then a sea of horses parted in front of him.

“I’ve never ridden this race before, so I didn’t know what to expect,” he said.

“I just thought my best chance is if I get him to stay the trip and, hopefully, he can rattle home.”

Had Dolan hesitated once, had he copped a slight check in those hectic final moments, he would not have won. This is how he did it.

Co-trainers John Symons and Sheila Laxon knew something many others doubted – Knight’s Choice would run out the trip.

When they drew gate six, it must have brought a smile to their faces. They could not do any more, the rest was up to Dolan.

Knight’s Choice jumped cleanly from the........

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