James McDonald’s four-timer at Rosehill was another reminder of his prodigious talent and keeps him on schedule to achieve a rare riding feat this season, writes Ray Thomas.
James McDonald’s four-timer at Rosehill Gardens was another reminder of his prodigious talent and keeps him on schedule to achieve a rare riding feat this season.
Sydney’s reigning champion jockey was in brilliant form winning on The Elanora, Pandemic, Vitesse and Surreal Step.
With 45 wins since August 1, McDonald is in familiar territory at the top of the Sydney jockey premiership rankings but tellingly, with nearly eight months of the season remaining, he is on course to smash a century of city wins again.
“I target 100 city wins every season,’’ McDonald said.
“If I get to 100 then I’ve had a really good season and hopefully another premiership. It is hard for two jockeys to ride that many winners in Sydney the same season.’’
McDonald rode 104 winners to claim the Sydney premiership in 2018-19 and then backed that up with 103.5 wins to retain his title last season.
Remarkably, only two jockeys have ridden at least 100 Sydney winners in three consecutive seasons — Larry Cassidy was the first to achieve the feat in 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000, before Darren Beadman managed to ride a century of winners in six successive seasons from 2001-02 to 2006-07 when he rode an all-time record of 164 wins.
Due to international quarantine restrictions, McDonald has no plans to travel back home to New Zealand for Christmas so his focus will be to “keep chipping away” as he chases a fifth Sydney premiership.
But McDonald will ride at the Magic Millions Carnival on the Gold Coast in January where his likely mounts include unbeaten Breeders Plate winner Shaquero in the $2 million Magic Millions 2YO Classic.
“I want to have a really good Magic Millions carnival next month,’’ McDonald said.
“I’m very excited by Shaquero, I’m wrapped in the way he has come back from his break.’’
At Royal Randwick on Saturday, McDonald is chasing his first win in the Group 2 $250,000 Villiers Stakes (1600m) on the Chris Waller-trained Sambro.
HAWKES’ OUTRAGEOUS CLAIM
Trainer Michael Hawkes can’t fault Festival Stakes winner Outrageous going into the Villiers Stakes.
“Outrageous has done well, he’s in a good head space — one more to go,’’ Hawkes said. “If he could win the Villiers, it would cap off a great year for the stable.’’
Team Hawkes has had tremendous success this year including the dual Group 1 wins of Ole Kirk in the Golden Rose and Caulfield Guineas.
“Ole Kirk is back in pre-training along with North Pacific, Dirty Work, Masked Crusader and Doubtland,’’ Hawkes revealed. “We got some nice horses for the autumn carnival.’’
EXTRA SIGNIFICANCE WITH CUP
Significance, the son of English superhorse Frankel, may back up in the Listed $140,000 Christmas Cup (2400m) at the Villiers meeting after his tough win at Rosehill last Saturday.
Trainer Clare Cunningham said she will monitor how Significance comes through his Rosehill run before making a call on the Christmas Cup.
SPRING IN THEIR STEP
How good is the Group 3 Spring Stakes form from The Hunter meeting at Newcastle last month!
The Elanora defeated High Supremacy and Ellsberg in the Spring Stakes and then came out to post a dominant two lengths win at Rosehill over 1800m last Saturday.
Ellsberg scored an even more emphatic win at the Rosehill meeting, careering away to win by more than four lengths in a 1500m race.
The Elanora, owned by John Singleton, is being kept in training for the Group 3 Grand Prix Stakes at Eagle Farm on Boxing Day while Ellsberg is eligible for the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas next month.
High Supremacy, who ran second in the Spring Stakes, has been turned out for a spell by trainers Richard and Michael Freedman but he shares something in common with The Elanora and Ellsberg as he has only had one race preparation which adds even more merit to the trio’s performances.
Richard Freedman said it was encouraging to see the Spring Stakes form holding up as the stable has a good opinion of High Supremacy.
Meanwhile, the Freedmans produced another promising three-year-old when Deepour scored a very easy win on debut at Newcastle last Saturday.
STABLE’S EFFORT TRULY GREAT
Truly Great’s effort to take out the Kingston Town Classic at Ascot gave trainers Grant and Alana Williams their fourth Group 1 win of the season.
Team Williams and owner-breeder Bob Peters led in the big race quinella as Truly Great defeated Inspirational Girl in the final major of the calendar year.
The Williams stable’s tally of Group 1 wins so far this season is second only to Chris Waller on the national rankings.
Waller, the leading Group 1-winning trainer for the last eight seasons, has already trained six major race winners in 2020-21.
The only other multiple Group 1-winning trainers this season are Team Hawkes, David Jolly and David Payne with two wins each.
The jockey rankings are much tighter with Craig Williams, Mark Zahra, Damien Oliver and Willie Pike equal leaders with three Group 1 wins each.
Damian Lane, Luke Currie, Tommy Berry and Glen Boss are next with two Group 1 wins.
DOUBLE ANNIVERSARY
Still on Boss, the Hall of Fame jockey on Monday celebrates his 35th anniversary of his first race ride at Gympie.
“It was December 7, 1985 and I had just the one ride at the meeting but ran unplaced,’’ Boss said.
“I will never forget the date — particularly now as it is my wife, Sloane’s birthday.’’
Boss has since ridden the winners of nearly 2500 races including 88 at Group 1 level. He has won three Melbourne Cups on Makybe Diva (2003-04-05), three Cox Plates, two Golden Slippers, seven Doncaster Miles, three ATC Australian Derbies, four Epsom Handicaps and The Everest.
The champion jockey is riding at Eagle Farm next Saturday where his mounts include Frosty Rocks (The Gateway), Fake Love (Calaway Gal Stakes), Exhilarates (Just Now Stakes) and Plague Stone (Bribie Handicap).
MOORE FIREPOWER
Gary Moore has revealed his brother and training partner, John, is due to leave Hong Kong later this month.
“Brother John will be here just after Christmas,’’ Moore said. “He will be here in time for the yearling sales next month.’’
John Moore is a legend in Hong Kong racing, winning the trainer premiership five times and preparing the winners of more than 1700 races. He has trained champions like Beauty Generation, Able Friend, Viva Pataca, Designs On Rome and Werther.
ROSEHILL SNAPSHOT
RUN OF THE DAY
Although he is still in his first racing preparation and he got all the breaks The Elanora could well be a horse on the rise.
You won’t see a softer win and he is a real prospect of the future.
FORGET THEY RAN
There were plenty of forgiving runs on Saturday.
From the Tab Highway Proven Class and Post Free never got a clear crack until too late while Bigboyroy and Irish Songs met a similar fate losing momentum at vital stages.
THE BLACK BOOK
More than a few horses early in their preparations that can be money makers over the Summer months include Black Duke, Eleven Eleven, Poetic Charmer, Selica and Sausedge.
RIDE OF THE DAY
James McDonald owned the day with four winners but Mathew Cahill rode Eva’s Deel to perfection.
Mathew balanced and positioned the mare in a beautiful position and it was all over before the turn.
