James Mcdonald has a piece of paper he brings to work on race days and on it is written four simple phrases.
‘See it. Feel it. Win it. Enjoy it.’
The champion jockey did all four on Saturday as he became the most successful Group 1 rider in Australian history when Autumn Boy gave him his 130th major in the Rosehill Guineas (2000m).
In doing so, McDonald also brought up a century of Group 1s on Australian soil, while he and Chris Waller eclipsed the record 54 Group 1s for a trainer-jockey partnership, which had been held by Tommy Smith and George Moore for decades.
McDonald revealed he had switched off social media during the week to focus on his shot at history, and a text message from former All Blacks coach, Sir Stephen Hansen, on Golden Slipper Day morning reaffirmed his mindset.
“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.”
Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of McDonald’s achievement is his age.
At 34, he is only just entering the ballpark when most jockeys peak, however, the typically humble New Zealander says his success is down to wonderful support and elite thoroughbreds.
“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.”
Making his milestone all the more special was the fact the man whose record he surpassed was his childhood idol Damien Oliver.
“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.”
Autumn Boy’s ($2.45 fav) Guineas performance was overshadowed by McDonald’s incredible feat, but the colt was outstanding, his two-length margin over Green Spaces ($21) emphatic.
Waller was lukewarm on taking him to the ATC Australian Derby (2400m) but didn’t rule it out, instead wanting to see how the remainder of the Golden Slipper Day program panned out before making a call.
However, Autumn Boy did pass an important test by running a strong 2000m which will bring him under consideration for a Cox Plate campaign next season.
“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.
