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J-Mac’s Next Frontier: Middle East And Then The World?

Awarded the ‘World’s Best Jockey’ title in 2024, champion rider James McDonald joins Romantic Warrior in making his Dubai debut next week.

J-Mac’s Next Frontier: Middle East And Then The World?

Awarded the ‘World’s Best Jockey’ title in 2024, champion rider James McDonald joins Romantic Warrior in making his Dubai debut next week.

JAMES McDONALD will land in Dubai for the first time early on Monday, and when he does, it could be a case of ‘Watch out world.’

The man carrying the ‘World’s Best Jockey’ tag makes his Middle East debut next Friday at Meydan when he partners the Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior in the Group 1 Jebel Hatta (1800m) at the start of a three-race campaign in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

“I return on Friday in Sydney, head to Hong Kong to ride Voyage Bubble on Sunday and then I’m at Meydan on Monday morning to ride Romantic Warrior in a gallop on the turf,” McDonald told Idol Horse

“I’ll be in Dubai for a week, it will be my first time there but I’m looking forward to getting to know Meydan. I don’t even know where he’s stabled at Meydan, because I don’t know the place at all. Hopefully, I’ll know it very well after next week!”

ROMANTIC WARRIOR / Meydan // 2025 /// Photo by Dubai Racing Club

Romantic Warrior, who last raced when winning the Hong Kong Cup on December 8, has been in Dubai since December 17, meaning that he will have been based at Meydan for more than five weeks when he runs in the Jebel Hatta. That is a long lead time but in line with Romantic Warrior’s previous trips abroad and a move supported by McDonald.

“He’s always gone out for a longer period when he’s travelled – he did it when he went to Melbourne for the Cox Plate and he did that with Japan as well,” said McDonald. “He (trainer Danny Shum) didn’t take him over and race him straight away. With all of his trips, he’s had time to settle in and this one’s probably a bit longer but that’s because he’s at such an early stage of his campaign. He’s only had the two races this campaign so Danny thought he might as well get him over there and get him used to his surroundings.

“The feedback from those on the ground is really good. He’s settled in nicely. He’s a good traveller, the horse, so we didn’t expect anything less. He seems happy and healthy and, touch wood, there are no hiccups so far. These races are going to be really tough for him but he’s already achieved things only a champion can and he deserves his chance to create even more history.”

Romantic Warrior won’t be McDonald’s only mount at his maiden Meydan appearance. He will link up with Australian trainer Michael Costa for a handful of rides on the undercard, including a critical outing on the Meydan dirt, which will be an all-important experience ahead of Romantic Warrior’s Dubai World Cup bid in April.

McDonald’s first – and only – ride for Costa was almost nine years ago at Warwick Farm in Sydney. That day, the jockey rode five winners: four for Godolphin and one, Viaductress, for young trainer Costa.

VIADUCTRESS / Warwick Farm // 2016

Since then, McDonald has risen to the top of the global rankings while Costa has moved to Jebel Ali and is currently leading the United Arab Emirates trainers’ championship.

“It’s been a long time since I rode for Michael but what he’s doing over there is great,” McDonald said. “He was a promising trainer in Sydney and to see what he’s doing now, full credit to him. It’s great to be able to ride for him again. I’m not sure how many rides I have for him yet but I’m looking forward to it.”

McDonald has taken his talents from the New Zealand town of Cambridge to the world, first taking his home country by storm as a teenager before riding in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Ireland – and winning in all bar the now-defunct Macau.

While Dubai and Saudi Arabia are next on the list, exposure to different trainers and owners could potentially lead to even more opportunities on the world stage. After all, those mega-money meetings draw eyes from all hemispheres, notably the United States and Europe.

In 2022, Damian Lane won the G2 UAE Derby aboard Crown Pride and was in the frame to become the first Australian to ride in the G1 Kentucky Derby – eventually though, it was Christophe Lemaire that was legged aboard at Churchill Downs.

CROWN PRIDE, DAMIAN LANE / G2 UAE Derby // Meydan /// 2022 //// Photo by Dubai Racing Club

McDonald may open the same door in the Middle East in the months ahead but while he admits he would relish the opportunity to test himself against a different set of riders in a race like the Kentucky Derby, he says it is not something he is actively seeking at Meydan or Riyadh.

“Of course, as a jockey, you always hope to be able to ride in the world’s biggest races,” he said. “And there’s always a chance of that happening, for sure. I’d love the chance to ride somewhere like America. It’s not at the forefront of my mind though, when I go and ride at these big meetings I’m not thinking about where it might lead. Next week, I’m thinking about riding the best race I can on Romantic Warrior and I’m focused on what I am already booked for at home and in Hong Kong over the autumn. 

“Whatever happens, happens. Romantic Warrior has already opened up so many doors for me – the fact that we’re going to Dubai next week and are talking about some of the world’s biggest races, it’s just a fact of travelling that it gets your name out there and opens up more opportunities. Who knows where it might lead next?”

McDonald’s foreign sojourn next week means that he will miss the return barrier trial of Via Sistina. The world’s top mare was scheduled to step out at Warwick Farm on Thursday but a mammoth Sydney storm saw the session postponed until Monday.

“It’s not ideal but that’s the position you are in when you are lucky enough to ride these horses,” he said. “I’ve got a relationship with Via Sistina and Romantic Warrior and horses like Voyage Bubble too. 

“I haven’t really gone too deep into the logistics yet but most things over the next few months should work out, the only one I’m not entirely sure about yet is the Saudi Cup on Saturday leading into the Hong Kong Gold Cup on the Sunday.” ∎

Andrew Hawkins is the Idol Horse Globetrotter. Andrew’s deep passion for international racing has taken him to all corners of the world, including Hong Kong, where he was based for five years. He has worked with media outlets including South China Morning Post, Racing Post, ANZ Bloodstock News, Sky Racing Australia and World Horse Racing, as well as for organisations including the Hong Kong Jockey Club and Victoria Racing Club.

View all articles by Andrew Hawkins.

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