James McDonald
Achievements
New Zealand Apprentice Title 2007/08, 2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11
New Zealand Jockey Premiership 2008/09, 2010/11
Sydney Metropolitan Jockey Premiership 2013/14, 2015/16, 2018/19, 2019/20
New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame 2020
47 Group One Victories including
2014 Golden Slipper – Mossfun
2014 Queen Elizabeth Stakes – Dundeel
2015 BMW – Hartnell
2018 Caulfield Guineas – The Autumn Sun
2019 Australian Oaks – Verry Elleegant
2020 TJ Smith – Nature Strip
James McDonald is arguably Australia’s most dominant jockey. Affectionately known as ‘JMac’ to those within the Racing Industry and all its followers, James has ridden 47 Group 1 winners which is an extraordinary feat given he is still only 28 years of age.
Born in New Zealand, James was destined for riding as he followed in the footsteps of his father Brett, who was a prominent jumps jockey and trainer. This resulted in James taking up his race riding apprenticeship at the age of 15 and within his fourth season he had claimed his fourth Apprentice Jockey Title and the 2010/2011 New Zealand Jockey Premiership with a staggering 207 wins. However he wasn’t satisfied by these achievements and dreamed of bigger ambitions which only Australia could offer.
A year on from his New Zealand Premiership, James relocated to Sydney with immediate success claiming the 2013/2014 Sydney Metropolitan Premiership which included Group 1 victories in the Golden Slipper, Caulfield Guineas, Australian Oaks, and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Since then James’ career has gone from strength to strength, adding a further three Sydney Metropolitan Premierships to his resume, as well as being inducted into New Zealand’s Racing Hall of Fame.
Known for his horsemanship and ability to see the race unfold ahead of him, James’ calmness under pressure is unparalleled by his rivals. Given his standing in the jockey ranks, James usually finds himself partnering the short priced favourite of the race and with that comes a weight of expectation due to the high stakes associated with winning. This has seen James ride some of Australia’s best equine athletes to Group 1 success including speed machine Nature Strip, war horse Hartnell, Dundeel, and boom colt The Autumn Sun.
Not all things have gone to script though and its during one of his life’s biggest setbacks where James took the opportunity to learn about himself and put his career into perspective. At the top of his game in 2016 as the number one Jockey for powerhouse, Godolphin, James was disqualified from riding for 18 months due to a breach in late 2015 when he placed a bet on his mount, Astern. Accepting full responsibility for his actions, James was banned from riding, entering racetracks, losing his contract with Godolphin, and wondering how the future of his career would play out. However upon serving his suspension, James used the time to reflect and ensure he returned a better person and jockey, immediately bouncing back in the riding ranks winning the 2018/2019 Metropolitan Sydney Premiership.
Having just completed a tremendous 2019/2020 season, James is looking forward to a big Spring where he will take the reins off Group 1 chances Nature Strip, Verry Elleegant, and Funstar amongst a number of other fancied horses.
Outside of racing James has a passion for travel which usually involves a trip to Europe in our winter months, commencing with some riding duties at Royal Ascot before a well deserved break. On these trips James enjoys hitting the fairways of some of the worlds famous golf courses, with golf being a hobby he regularly pursues throughout the year to take his mind off racing.