Within a year he had been drawn to Australia, where he took no time to stamp his presence. Aged 22 and with 1000 wins already signed off, he won his first Sydney metropolitan title in 2013-14 headlined by wins in the Gr.1 Golden Slipper (1200m) on Mossfun, Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) on Dundeel, Gr.1 Australian Oaks (2400m) on Rising Romance, and Gr.1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) on Shooting To Win.
His appointment as Australian stable rider for global giant Godolphin was the dream job any jockey would give his eye teeth for, only for it all to fall to pieces.
Breaking the rules with a winning bet on his own mount in late 2015, McDonald had to face the music and then endure an 18-month stand-down. To this day he regrets this fit of misguided youthful judgment, but facing up to the challenge, he and his partner, former jockey Katelyn Mallyon, have turned it into a positive. "What happened to me was a learning curve for not only me but a lot of people, many of them my peers who saw what could happen if you broke the rules," McDonald said.
"I had no negativity against the stewards, after all they were only doing their job, and even though I thought it was harsh at the time, I had to pay the price."
New Zealand Racing Hall of Famer Chris Waller was integral to McDonald's comeback, when the jockey claimed his third Sydney premiership and made the most of the opportunities on offer, including a crucial Caulfield Guineas victory on the Waller-trained sensation The Autumn Sun.
Hall of Fame chair Cherry Taylor took immense delight in contacting McDonald to inform him of his pending induction.
"I am incredibly proud of James, who I have known since he was just a boy, and what I now see is a young man who has not changed despite his success," Taylor said.
McDonald's immediate focus is a visit home this week combining Christmas among family and friends with riding at the Ellerslie carnival.
An untimely injury to early Gr.1 Zabeel Classic (2000m) favourite Supera means he will instead be riding the Baker/Forsman-trained True Enough in the Boxing Day feature, while on New Year's Day his bookings are headed by Queensland raider Winter Bride in the Gr. 1 Sistema Railway (1200m).
"New Zealand is where I learnt my craft and it's a massive buzz at a track like Ellerslie on a big day."
- NZ Racing Desk
