James McDonald guides True Enough (left) to victory in the $200,000 Gr.1 Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie. Photo / Trish Dunell
James McDonald guides True Enough (left) to victory in the $200,000 Gr.1 Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic (2000m) at Ellerslie. Photo / Trish Dunell
It was the homecoming that turned into a coronation for James McDonald.
The Kiwi jockey has made his annual pilgrimage home for Christmas and brought his saddle with him to take in Ellerslie's mega-meeting which started today.
Punters followed him and he didn't let them down.
The now Sydney-based jockey picked up a treble and they were the three best backed runners at the meeting. Once McDonald rode his first winner on the speed machine Only In Jakarta and punters got paid they followed him everywhere he went. Usually that was the winner's circle.
Jennifer Eccles was a painless watch for those who backed her in from $3.60 to a remarkably short $1.90 and by the time True Enough outstayed his rivals in the $200,000 Cambridge Stud Zabeel Classic bookmakers were looking for a place to hide.
He opened $6.50 in final field betting but when a rider with McDonald's following is in the zone the wave of money becomes unstoppable and True Enough almost halved in quote to $3.50.
The race panned out perfectly for those who jumped on, McDonald letting the long-strider settle off the solid tempo, never lost momentum around the bend and then refused to buckle when Fiscal Fantasy and the luckless Beauden challenged late.
The irony of the win wasn't lost on McDonald. The main reason he wanted to ride at today's meeting was to partner Supera for one of his mentors and friends Sir Peter Vela.
She was withdrawn from the Zabeel on acceptances morning and McDonald needed a new ride. The rest, as they say, is group one history.
McDonald steers Jennifer Eccles to a comfortable victory in the Eight Carat Classic. Photo / Trish Dunell
"It is funny how things work out," laughed McDonald. "I would have loved to have been on Supera for Sir Peter but when she got injured I was lucky enough to get on this horse.
"I actually rode him to win the Thames Cup way back in January and if you had told me then he would win a group one this year I would have said you were mad.
"But Murray (Baker) and Andrew (Forsman) get them so fit and ready that you can get the best out of them.
"And my NZ manager Garry Cossey, he read the speed maps all day perfectly and gave me the best advice. So it all fell together."
True Enough, the horse bred by mistake after his dam was served by the wrong stallion, has now won the Coupland's Mile and today's group one, showing that fit horses who try hard every time they step on to the track can sometimes exceed everybody's expectations.
Especially when trained by champions and ridden by freaks.
Jennifer Eccles' first win for her huge syndicate of owners could hardly have been more contrasting as she stalked the speed three wide and put the $100,000 SkyCity Eight Carat Classic to bed in a few strides at the 150m mark, her turn of foot too sharp for Two Illicit.
"She is a good filly," said McDonald. "They have to be to sprint like that."
Jennifer Eccles won't back up in the Royal Stakes on New Year's Day but Two Illicit will and it will take a good filly to beat her.
