James McDonald set to be crowned leading jockey for 2022 Melbourne Cup Carnival on Champions Day at Flemington
Champion jockey James McDonald is poised to claim leading jockey honours for the Melbourne Cup Carnival but the trainers race is wide open.
Champion jockey James McDonald, with seven winners through the first three days of Melbourne Cup Week, will claim back-to-back leading rider honours on Saturday at Flemington.
A crowd of more than 50,000 will be ensconced at Flemington for the inaugural blockbuster $10m Champions Day carnival climax.
The three $3m Group 1 Champions races – Sprint, Mile and Stakes – boast 20 individual winners of top class fixtures.
Victoria Racing Club executive general manager Leigh Jordon lauded the depth and quality of the Champions Day fields.
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“This will really be the best of the best,” Jordon said.
“The best in each category, to prove the best in each distance, 1200m, 1600m and 2000m.”
McDonald claimed the Ron Hutchinson leading rider award last year with a record 10 winners.
The world’s highest-rated jockey has nine rides on Saturday, including favourites Atishu (race 5), Nature Strip (race 6), Anamoe (race 8) and Taunting (race 9), to match or better his own mark.
Points for the JB Cummings leading trainer and Ron Hutchinson awards are allocated on a 3-2-1 basis for the win, second and third-placed horses in each race of the Cup Carnival.
McDonald leads the Ron Hutchinson with 29 points (seven wins and four seconds) from Damien Oliver (12), Craig Williams (10) and John Allen (10).
The Group 1 races have been won by five different jockeys – Mark Zahra (Melbourne Cup), Michael Dee (Victoria Derby), Tommy Berry (VRC Oaks), McDonald (Coolmore) and Williams (Empire Rose).
Champion jockey Damien Oliver has had a frustrating week, placed in five of his past seven starts.
The race for the JB Cummings award is open with three possible winners going into Champions Day.
Melbourne Cup champion trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace have 17 points banked with four winners, a second (dead-heat) and four thirds, to lead Chris Waller (14) and James Cummings (13).
Waller has the most bullets to fire on Saturday, with 12 starters engaged, including three favourites, compared to Maher-Eustace (nine) and Cummings (seven).
Like the jockeys, 17 riders won the 28 races run, the trainers shared the spoils too, with 21 stables toasting Flemington success.
Maher-Eustace are the $2.40 favourites with TAB to claim the JB Cummings award from Waller ($2.80) and Cummings ($3.10).
Originally published as James McDonald set to be crowned leading jockey for 2022 Melbourne Cup Carnival on Champions Day at Flemington
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