Premier jockey James McDonald will move with military precision over the next few months as he juggles trips to Hong Kong and New Zealand around his ambitions of winning another Sydney premiership and more group 1 races at home.
“My priority is here in Sydney, but there will be about half a dozen trips to Hong Kong that I need to get right,” McDonald said. “People are counting on me to be at my best at every meeting, and it takes planning and experience to get it right.
James McDonald celebrates his Cox Plate victory on Romantic Warrior, which he will link with in Hong Kong this year.Credit: Racing Photos / Getty Images
“It’s all in the preparation. If you prepare well, it’s a breeze and it gets you really focused.”
The 32-year-old will ride at Rosehill on Saturday before taking an eight-hour flight to Hong Kong.
“I will have a big day on Saturday and then have a light meal, and within an hour on the plane at 10 o’clock I’m asleep,” McDonald said.
“I get there about 4.30 in the morning, and I’m at the hotel near Sha Tin by 5.30am. I have a lay down until 10am, and then I have a run or sweat for an hour and head to the track about midday. It’s like a normal race day.”
McDonald is usually on his way back to Sydney within 24 hours, and it’s important to get on as early a flight as possible for his return home.
“The times of flights are quite important,” McDonald said.
“I find if I have to get the midnight plane, it takes a bigger toll on my recovery and it can affect you for the next week.
“The 9pm flight gets you back at the start of the day, and I find it gets me back into my routine here.”
McDonald is hoping to head to Hong Kong with a couple of Rosehill winners under his belt.
“I’m hoping Switzerland gets a run in the two-year-old because he is a good colt,” McDonald said. “I think Gently Rolled and Our Kobison look good chances.
“Our Kobison was good first up, and I think he can take that little bit of improvement to win a similar race.”
McDonald will look for his first group 1 victory in 2024 when he rides Hong Kong Derby winner Voyage Bubble in the Stewards Cup on Sunday, and this Hong King trip will be extended to ride Cox Plate winner Romantic Warrior in a barrier trial on Tuesday.
“I ran second to Golden Sixty in the International Mile, and if he replicates that run he will be very hard to beat,” McDonald said. “He is part of the next batch of horses coming through there, and he is ready to take the next step.
“I also have Wunderbar on Sunday, which I won on twice during my stint over there in December, and he’s a very progressive horse.”
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