James McDonald will miss the rescheduled Tancred Stakes meeting at Rosehill on Tuesday, instead flying to Dubai to ride Romantic Warrior in a Meydan track gallop on the same morning ahead of his assignment in next weekend’s G1 Dubai Turf (1800m).
McDonald told Idol Horse he was originally scheduled to fly out of Sydney on Sunday night and it was confirmed earlier on Sunday that he would maintain his original itinerary, missing the ride on River Of Stars in the Tancred among a large book.
It is one of the busiest periods of racing in McDonald’s adopted home city of Sydney, which is the primary reason he has never ridden on Dubai World Cup night previously.
“It’s a big decision to miss any major meeting back home and now I’m missing a couple of them,” McDonald said. “Next Saturday is one of the biggest days of the year in Sydney, so it was always going to be something very special that took me away around this time.”
That “something very special” is Romantic Warrior, the Hong Kong champion who was imperious in the G1 Jebel Hatta (1800m) at Meydan in January.
The Danny Shum-trained Romantic Warrior returns to the course and distance for the G1 Dubai Turf (1800m) and makes a return to grass after a remarkable second to Forever Young in the G1 Saudi Cup (1800m) on dirt last start.
“Danny told me the other day that he looks more at home in Dubai than he ever did in Saudi Arabia,” said McDonald. “He obviously loves the surroundings there and he’s been working well from everything I’ve seen, so I’m looking forward to riding him later in the week.
“Obviously going back to the turf will suit him and, even with horses like Liberty Island in there, it really seems a suitable race for him. The 1800m is his perfect distance, it is tailor made for him, and it’s now familiar territory for him in terms of race setup, distance and track. He’s going to have to bring his A game against horses like Liberty Island, Soul Rush, even Facteur Cheval who won last year. But we know just how good he is at his peak.”
McDonald came under fire for his Saudi Cup ride, in which he allowed Romantic Warrior to stride up wide on the corner and sent him for home early in the Riyadh stretch. While the jockey acknowledges the criticism and admits there are things he would change in hindsight, he is full of praise for the Hong Kong superstar.
“I haven’t been able to watch the replay back,” McDonald said in jest. “No, obviously I have, and it goes through my mind a bit. You think about what you could have changed and how things could have been done differently, but that’s racing.
“If it had been any other horse chasing, they wouldn’t have got close. I am so, so proud of him. He never shirked his task, that’s for sure, and even though it was his first time on dirt, he handled it so well. I can honestly say it was one of his best performances, even in defeat.”
McDonald will also represent Hong Kong aboard John Size-trained Howdeepisyourlove in the G1 Al Quoz Sprint (1200m) and Frankie Lor’s Sword Point in the G2 Godolphin Mile (1600m).
“If Howdeepisyourlove brings his best form, he should be hard to beat,” McDonald said. “It’s that sort of race, it looks very even and he’s not far behind Ka Ying Rising on his very best. Obviously luck in running will play a part but he has John Size in his corner and he’s one for one up the straight – I know it’s only the 1000m at Sha Tin but it’s still experience.
“From what I experienced in January, it seems a very testing six furlongs. It’s flat but the way they run those races, it felt more like a 1400m event. I guess we saw that with California Spangle last year. Howdeepisyourlove is coming off that run over 1400m in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup that will hold him in good stead, he’s got that little bit of stamina that will help him out.
“Sword Point has been a different horse on the dirt this season, although they were only in Class 2 company. It’s probably the most competitive race of the night so it’s going to be tough for him but it’s worth a try.”
McDonald’s absence from Day 1 of The Championships in Sydney means that Ryan Moore will instead head to Randwick to ride Coolmore’s Switzerland in the G1 T J Smith Stakes (1200m) and Wodeton in the G1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) in a transcontinental game of musical chairs.
That means that McDonald will take Moore’s place aboard Aidan O’Brien-trained Continuous in the G2 Dubai Gold Cup (3200m), although he won’t ride Coolmore’s other runner – Believing in the Al Quoz Sprint – due to his prior commitment to Howdeepisyourlove.
“It’s a great opportunity to ride Continuous for Coolmore,” he said. “It’s always nice to get a horse like him in a race like this, he’s a Group 1 winner and at his very best he’s capable for sure. I haven’t ridden for Aidan too often, I rode for him in the Melbourne Cup a few years ago, but I’m looking forward to jumping aboard him.”
After Dubai, McDonald will return to Sydney for Day 2 of The Championships, where he is set to ride Via Sistina in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m). ∎
