James McDonald brings along a piece of paper to racetracks on competition days, listing four concise mantras.
‘See it. Feel it. Win it. Enjoy it.’
Saturday saw the premier jockey live out each phrase, ascending to Australia’s record-holding Group 1 pilot courtesy of Autumn Boy’s triumph yielding his 130th premier win in the Rosehill Guineas (2000m).
Alongside this, McDonald reached 100 Group 1s within Australia, while his alliance with Chris Waller exceeded the historic 54 Group 1s tally shared by Tommy Smith and George Moore over many years.
He shared that social media was off-limits during the week to zero in on history, with a supportive note from former All Blacks head Sir Stephen Hansen arriving on Golden Slipper Day morning to solidify his approach.
“He said, ‘Walk straight into it. Grab it with both hands and walk straight into it'”, McDonald said.
“I was thinking to myself, imagine him sitting down with the All Blacks, a fifteen squad of men, our greatest sport in New Zealand, and he’s saying, ‘Walk into it. Embrace it’.
“I thought that was quite special.”
Notably impressive about McDonald’s record is his youthfulness.
Turning 34 puts him at the entry to peak form for jockeys generally, though the reserved Kiwi attributes it to strong assistance and superior bloodstock.
“It’s lovely, but it’s a testament to the horses that I ride because they are phenomenal,” he said.
“There’s no two ways about it, that I do ride the best horses and most favourites each race and I’m blessed to have that opportunity.”
The record eclipsed belonged to his lifelong inspiration Damien Oliver, heightening the significance.
“To get to a mark like this, it’s obviously special. Especially with how I look up to Damien Oliver,” he said.
“When I was growing up as a ten-year-old kid, he was riding Melbourne Cup winners. One that comes to mind is Media Puzzle when he went through so much adversity and still had the vivacity to come out on top.”
The $2.45 favourite Autumn Boy shone in the Guineas with a clear two-length verdict over $21 shot Green Spaces, overshadowed only by McDonald’s milestone.
Waller hesitated on the ATC Australian Derby (2400m) path, keen to review the full Golden Slipper Day before finalizing plans.
Nevertheless, the 2000m handling positions him well for a Cox Plate bid in the upcoming spring.
“We’ve ticked the box for 2000 metres. His dad (The Autumn Sun) won it. He’s won it. I’ll pick out some nice races in the spring,” Waller said.
Visit leading betting sites to access racing odds for key events like the Rosehill Guineas.