James McDonald enjoys riding a winner as shown aboard Shez Sinsational after the 2012 Auckland Cup. He will be a star attraction at Ellerslie on New Year's Day, when he has several top mounts. Photo / Natalie Slade
James McDonald took a deep breath when he arrived in New Zealand for a busman's holiday over the NZ Herald's Summer Carnival at Ellerslie today and January 1.
It had nothing to do with the quality of the air compared with Sydney.
It was all about leaving behind at least some level of pressure.
Until you've been Sydney's champion jockey for a while you couldn't even begin to imagine the pressure.
Riding million-dollar yearlings for one of the world's richest men, Dubai's Sheikh Mohammed. The Sheikh doesn't have 20 horses, he has hundreds of them, mostly prepared by new trainer John O'Shea, who recently made the remarkable move of slightly elbowing sideways the Sheikh's longtime regular jockey and friend Kerrin McEvoy in preference for the New Zealander, possibly the greatest tribute that will ever be paid to McDonald.
But the day-to-day grind and pressure - mistakes are barely tolerated at this level - can be crippling and you're not allowed to show it.
The most important asset, quite apart from being required to steer $1.50 chances home without a hitch, is a bright personality and being able to smile through the crushing intensity.
Being well liked at the top in Australian racing is as important as being good.
To his everlasting credit, McDonald has handled it as well as anyone before him. Every New Zealander should be proud of him. That's apart from day-to-day being the best rider in Australia.
The Cambridge-born horseman will never be known as a smarty. Neither will he ever be happy with his performance - the real ingredient to his success. He continually bags himself for being beaten into second on Ruakaka mare Rising Romance in the Caulfield Cup because he believes he pressed the go button too soon.
Nonsense - it rates as one of the rides of the season. McDonald couldn't have beaten Japan's Admire Rakti in that race if he'd been on a motorbike.
Riders who have in not much more than six years won races in excess of $30 million are happy with their own counsel. McDonald doesn't believe he knows it all.
Before he won the A$3.5 million Golden Slipper in the autumn he sidled alongside veteran great Jimmy Cassidy in the Rosehill jockeys' room. Cassidy was suspended and had special permission to be in the jockeys' room to talk Tommy Berry through his riding that day after the death of his twin and fellow jockey Nathan Berry only days earlier.
McDonald quietly asked Cassidy how he thought he should ride Mossfun in the Slipper and was told: "If you think you're going okay, come up the rail."
Mossfun completely missed the start and when tailed off last, McDonald had no hesitation coming down the rail in the home straight and won the world's richest 2-year-old race.
A smarty who didn't want advice would not have done that and would have been beaten.
McDonald has only one ride this afternoon, former European mare Scintillula in the $200,000 Zabeel Classic, owned by his mate and sponsor Sir Peter Vela.
Scintillula recently had her first start in 14 months at Avondale and ran an even race for fourth.
Her best European form is close to top class and at that best she will be competitive today in a race where there have been some sizeable bets on her.
Provided she goes well she will back up in the City Of Auckland Cup next week.
"On her European form she looks a very good horse backing up," said McDonald.
The New Zealander has a sensational book of rides for January 1, but let's get through today first.
And, in case you are wondering, yes, Scintillula's 57kg allowed McDonald, who really has to watch his weight, some Christmas lunch. An afternoon walk with his mum Diane in Cambridge also helped.
The boy's back in town
• Champion jockey James McDonald is enjoying Christmas at his hometown of Cambridge.
• He will make a cameo appearance at Ellerslie today aboard Scintillula in the Zabeel Classic.
• He will be much busier on New Year's Day when he has a top book of rides.
