Racing: McDonald fights Espinoza for top jockey title

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James McDonald and American Triple Crown jockey Victor Espinoza are deadlocked in the lead for the title of the world's best jockey.

There is a long way to go and, initially anyway, the advantage will sit with Espinoza.

The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities in Boulogne, France, yesterday released the mid-year standings for the Longines World's Best Jockey.

The body (IFHA) has nominated 100 worldwide races, the results of which judge the jockey standings.

As of July 6, McDonald and Espinoza are tied on 66 points.

McDonald is close to returning to Australia from Europe and for the next couple of months will be competing in races that are not on the IFHA world ratings as Australian winter racing winds up and the early stages of the spring carnival begin.

Meanwhile, Espinoza will have access to a number of qualifying races at the height of mid-summer in the United States.

However, with the backing of Godolphin's huge Australian operation, McDonald should build momentum as the Sydney spring carnival kicks in, followed by Melbourne's huge spring carnival, which will be at its height as Espinoza's opportunities diminish with the onset of the Northern Hemisphere winter.

Espinoza and McDonald have each won five group/grade one contests that qualify and finished second in another.

McDonald took a commanding lead early in the year, his group one victories included the Liverpool City Council Chipping Norton Stakes, Canterbury Stakes, Ranvet Rawson Stakes, George Ryder Stakes and BMW Tancred Stakes.

Espinoza has since tied McDonald, thanks in large part to sweeping the American Triple Crown: Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes with American Pharoah, who is atop the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings.

Espinoza's other wins that added to his total for the Longines World's Best Jockey competition came in the Dubai Golden Shaheen and the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic Stakes.

Right behind them in third place is Maxime Guyon, who has won four qualifying races and also has a second and a third, for a total of 58 points. Guyon received points for winning the Hong Kong Vase with Flintshire, and the rest of his victories have come aboard Solow, after they paired together to take the Dubai Turf, the Prix d'Ispahan and the Queen Anne Stakes.

Not too far behind is Frankie Dettori, regular rider of Epsom Derby and Coral Eclipse Stakes winner Golden Horn, and the inaugural recipient of the award, Ryan Moore.

Interestingly, Espinoza is a multimillionaire, but the closest he has finished in the American Jockeys' Earnings list was third in 2004 and 2006. His next best finish was sixth in 2002.

In 2010. he finished 23rd, 2011 19th, 2012 49th, 2013 24th and last year eighth.