McDonald answers the elephant in the room to claim Melbourne major

Sydney’s leading jockey James McDonald has been Australia’s pre-eminent rider for the past three years, but Melbourne’s spring majors had eluded the star Kiwi-born hoop until Tuesday.

Reuniting with Verry Elleegant - a mare that has provided McDonald with so many career highlights to date - the superstar hoop rode his own race, oblivious of where favourite Incentivise was in the run, instead making sure he got the very best out of the classiest horse in the race to win a memorable Melbourne Cup.

James McDonald raises his hand in triumph on return to the mounting yard at Flemington.Credit: Getty Images

McDonald’s resume includes the past three Sydney metropolitan jockeys premierships, and a fourth back in 2013-14, but trips to Victoria had not delivered him the fruits he so desired.

He was due to ride hot Cox Plate favourite Zaaki last week, but the gelding was scratched on the morning of the race. He missed out on riding Verry Elleegant in last year’s Caulfield Cup, won by Mark Zahra, as COVID-19 denied him the chance to travel from Sydney.

James McDonald’s moment with the Melbourne Cup trophy.Credit: Justin McManus

He was also due to ride European import Away He Goes in Tuesday’s race, before the horse went amiss. Trainer Chris Waller then announced on Saturday that the mare would take her place in the race she last year ran seventh in.

Eight times McDonald had ridden in the race, his best performance a runner-up finish on Fiorente in 2012. That horse won the following year’s Cup under Damien Oliver. McDonald also finished third on Hartnell in 2016.

“I just didn’t think this day would ever happen. I ride in these races, I really want to win but sometimes you can overthink it and try too hard,” McDonald said after Tuesday’s victory.

“I was very confident in the mare today. Thoughts went through my mind at the 500-metre mark when I saw Incentivise getting shoved along, but I knew he would fight. There wasn’t a horse that was going to come from behind me, it was just a matter of catching him.”

McDonald had told friends in the lead-up to the Cup that the 57 kilograms allotted to Verry Elleegant would be no concern to him, despite the fact only Makybe Diva - in 2005 carrying 58kg - had carried more than 57 to victory in the past 40 years.

“I just didn’t think this day would ever happen.”

Verry Elleegant’s jockey James McDonald on their 2021 Melbourne Cup win

Labelled a wet tracker by many - which was validated after her gallant Cox Plate performance in running third to State Of Rest - the mare had drifted in the market in recent days.

But McDonald, who rode four winners on Derby day, said he was confident about how she could perform in the 3200-metre contest.

“She is a nine-time group 1 winner and none of her opposition would be even close to that,” he said.

“She deserved [the weight], and for as good as she is, it was probably light. I kept saying to everyone who wanted to listen, there’s not a horse in that race that would run third in a Cox Plate or going to win nine group 1s, and she’s now won 10 and the Melbourne Cup is the icing on the cake.”

McDonald heaped praise on Waller; the Kiwi pair adding to their incredible record in partnership. The past month has included victory in The Everest on Nature Strip and the Coolmore Stud Stakes on Home Affairs.

“To Chris’ team who ride, Chris Harwood and Charlie Duckworth who organises everything; if I keep naming people I will leave someone out...the whole team there have just done a marvellous job with her,” McDonald said.

“You can see how far she has come, she relaxed over 3200 metres and showed a dazzling turn of foot.

“To pilot horses like Verry Elleegant each and every carnival is just a huge privilege and it worked out really well for us today. It doesn’t always happen like that, and you take the good with the bad, but today we were lucky enough to win a Melbourne Cup.”

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