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Randwick Inside Mail: Nash Rawiller absence seals Sydney jockeys’ premiership victory lap for James McDonald

With Nash Rawiller sidelined through illness, James McDonald can afford the luxury of a lap of honour at Royal Randwick on Saturday as he seals the Sydney jockeys’ premiership.

Shayne O’Cass
4 min read
July 26, 2024 - 12:25PM
James McDonald will capture another Sydney jockeys’ premiership thanks to the Randwick absence of closest rival Nash Rawiller. Picture: Jeremy Ng / Getty Images
James McDonald will capture another Sydney jockeys’ premiership thanks to the Randwick absence of closest rival Nash Rawiller. Picture: Jeremy Ng / Getty Images

James McDonald can afford the luxury of a lap of honour at Royal Randwick on Saturday, eight of them in fact, to celebrate his successful 2023/24 Jockeys Premiership title defence.

J-Mac already had a buffer of five wins over Nash Rawiller heading into the last Sydney Metropolitan race meeting of the season but with no Nash at HQ, it’s no contest.

In a few days from now, McDonald will bank his eighth Sydney’s Jockey’s Premiership – one more than Darren Beadman, the same number as Ron Quinton and now only two behind the immortal George Moore.

For one reason (Hong Kong) or another (illness), McDonald’s tally of 86 (not out) is lower than last season’s final score of 96.

But that said, he finished with a winning strike-rate last season with a still honourable 20.5 per cent compared to a whopping 23.5 in 2023/24.

Money is a consideration.

Last season, J-Mac’s Sydney city wins added up to $17,172.020.

This time they are $19,862,000.

He won’t quite get to the $20 million mark but McDonald is well-placed to go out with not a bang but a boom thanks in no small way to another James (Cummings), who has booked for him for Godolphin’s ‘Fab Four’ – Tarpaulin ($1.95), Fleetwood ($2), Kerguelen ($2.20) and Sequestered ($2.50).

Given that the two James share a strike-rate of 25 per cent, one of the four ‘has to win’.

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BEST BET
Mascaret (race four), from the Chris Waller camp, last won on this day, in this race, with James McDonald riding. Adding to the deja vu is that race, like this one on Saturday, was timed to start at 1.05pm. Mascaret has been rock solid in her last couple of runs where she was 1600m back to 1400m. The 1800m is more within her range.

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BEST VALUE
Invader Zim (race eight) was $7 into $5.50 when he resumed here 14-days ago and went within an inch of beating Patchouli Dream – and that was after covering a few extra yards in the run. He is out of a Kingmambo half sister to Hong Kong superstar Vengeance Of Rain which would suggest that he is only going to keep on improving with time and racing. He makes generous each- way appeal at $7 to win and $2.10 the place.

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PRICE CHECK
Agirlsbestfriend (race two) is one of a number of horses contesting Saturday’s TAB Highway Plate that seems to be looking for 1800m. Granted, the Marc Quinn-trained mare failed in her only previous attempt at the distance but she is certainly more mature and arguably a better horse now. Whatever the case, she was far and away the run of the race behind Cunnamulla Fella at Doomben last start for so many reasons, not least the way she found the line with her trademark purpose and gusto. Looks a tempting bet at each-way odds.

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TRIAL POINTERS
Qatars Choice (race one) is the fifth foal born out of the John Singleton-bred Fenway, whose second foal was the multiple stakes-winner and muddie par excellence, Williamsburg. Fenway was herself a multiple stakes-winner; her Sydney triumph came in the 2015 Vinery Stud Stakes when and where she beat First Seal and Winx no less. As for the $950,000 Easter Yearling purchase, Qatars Choice, she has trialled four times dating back to January. Fast forward to more recent times and her two hit-outs at Kembla and Warwick Farm respectively were first class and full of merit.

King of Florida (race nine) has certainly had an eventful start to his antipodean career. The Waller-trained gelding, who races in the Nature Strip silks, was wide and exposed at his first run in a 1400m race at Rosehill when solid enough in the betting at $21. There was some real specking for the Irish-bred gelding when he next appeared at Randwick only it was a case ‘rule a line’ after he broke through the gates and sped off. No surprise that he trialled at Rosehill as recently as Tuesday and cut a fine figure, well-held and striding boldly, up the straight.

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SECTIONAL STARS
Green Shadows (race three) was the only yearling Gerald Ryan purchased at the 2021 Perth Magic Millions Sale. He was probably odds-on to buy the horse given it was the only Menari offspring in the sale and Ryan did of course train the Golden Rose placegetter throughout. Ryan’s $80,000 outlay has been a good investment given Green Shadows has won back just shy of $300,000 already. It could have easily been more but for his tendency to give away bug starts in his races, something that we saw him do on the unfriendly Kensington track at his last run. In terms of Saturday, he is up to a mile with a favourable draw (4) and a champion jockey (James McDonald).

Fleetwood (race seven) is the popular pick with TAB punters to take out the unofficial race of the day, namely the small but somewhat select Kia Ora Prague Handicap. Fleetwood’s overall record is four wins and four placings from 11 starts. The James Cummings trained three-year-old has a win and a third among three visits to Royal Randwick. Now is a good time to remind all that that win at HQ was James McDonald’s only sit on the horse before they reunite on Saturday. Fleetwood, a $160,000 Godolphn purchase, picked up black-type for himself last start when a closing third in the Listed VRC Creswick Stakes over the same straight six trip that his father Encryption won the Danehill Stakes.

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THE BIG BETS
Race 1: Tarpaulin $2.10-$1.95, Qatars Choice $13-$7
Race 2: Imarichgirl $8-$5, Need A Miracle $26-$13, November Falls $8-$3.70
Race 3: Green Shadows $8-$5
Race 4: Mascaret $3.90-$3.50, Defining $4.60-$3.70
Race 5: World Alliance $5-$3.80, Detendu $12-$6.50
Race 6: Tijuana $3.10-$3, Ha Ha Ha $3.30-$3.20, Galeron $8-$5.50
Race 7: Fleetwood $2.60-$2.10, Bubba’s Bay $7-$6
Race 8: Vivy Air $11-$4.20, Invader Zim $8-$7
Race 9: Awash $4.40-$2.90, The Englishman $6-$5 ($2,000 at $5.50), King Of Florida $15-$12
Race 10: Sequestered $2.50-$2.40, The Replicant $15-$8.50

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RANDWICK EARLY QUADDIE
Race 3: 1,2,3,17
Race 4: 5
Race 5: 1,9,13
Race 6: 3,8

RANDWICK QUADDIE
Race 7: 2,4
Race 8: 3,7
Race 9: 3,9
Race 10: 3,8,9,10

Originally published as Randwick Inside Mail: Nash Rawiller absence seals Sydney jockeys’ premiership victory lap for James McDonald

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Original URL: https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/horse-racing/nsw-racing/randwick-inside-mail-nash-rawiller-absence-seals-sydney-jockeys-premiership-victory-lap-for-james-mcdonald/news-story/5d8be71694497b55df209e63dfaa9716