Star New Zealand apprentice James McDonald is set to fulfil four key engagements, including the ride on Pontiana in the Group One Tattersall’s Tiara, at Eagle Farm on Saturday.
It was feared McDonald may be left stranded in Auckland due to the volcanic ash cloud which has played havoc with travel in Australia and New Zealand.
McDonald recently eclipsed Lisa Cropp’s tally of 197 wins in the 2004-05 season and is within one win of becoming the first Kiwi jockey to ride 200 winners in a season.
The 19-year-old, who won his first Group One in Australia aboard Scarlett Lady in the Queensland Oaks, has put his aspirations in New Zealand on hold to ride at Eagle Farm.
McDonald was thankful he booked with Air New Zealand whose flights to Brisbane on Friday were unaffected by the ash cloud.
“Qantas flights had stopped but Air New Zealand were still flying,” McDonald said.
“Some of the New Zealand trainers were booked on Qantas but I was lucky enough to come over on Air New Zealand.”
The news of McDonald’s flight being unaffected was welcomed by Michael Hawkes, co-trainer of Pontiana.
Hawkes is confident Pontiana can fully test the favourite Beaded who goes into the 1400-metre feature with excellent form following her Group One Doomben 10,000 victory in May and last-start second in this month’s Group One Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm.
Pontiana, a daughter of Redoute’s Choice, has finished third at her past two starts, to Shannara in the Listed Dark Jewel Classic (1400m) at Scone and Hurtle Myrtle in the Group Two Dane Ripper Stakes (1400m) at Eagle Farm.
Michael Hawkes believes Pontiana should have won the Dark Jewel Classic and was unlucky in the Dane Ripper Stakes.
“She drew inside at Scone and got cluttered up and then was knocked from pillar to post in the straight and should have won,” Hawkes said.
“In the Dane Ripper she was a little slow away then the field stacked up in the middle stages and it took her a while to get going again.
“Had she jumped with them she could have won.”
Hawkes said the weight-for-age scale in the Tattersall’s Tiara, formerly the Winter Stakes, heavily favoured Beaded with only 57 kilograms.
“Beaded is thrown in under the weight-for-age scale but our filly will run well,” he said.
The Hawkes stable’s last Group One win was with Fiumicino in the BMW at Rosehill in 2009.
Pontiana will be spelled after the Tiara to prepare for a spring campaign.
“She’ll get ready for the spring after this race but what races she’ll go for will depend on her performance tomorrow,” Hawkes said.
Beaded will be attempting to give trainer Peter Snowden his eighth Group One this season.
AAP TURF
