December, 2022 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Jockey James McDonald Honored As Longines World’s Best Jockey

James McDonald was honored as the 2022 Longines World's Best Jockey at the Longines Hong Kong International Races Gala dinner. The New Zealand-born jockey is the second Australian-based rider to win the Longines World's Best Jockey Award, following Hugh Bowman's victory in 2017. With a total of 142 points, McDonald beat Ryan Moore (96 points) and William Buick (78 points) to win the 2022 title by a wide margin. He was presented with an elegant Longines timepiece as well as a crystal vase by Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chair of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), and Cecilia Kwok, Vice President of Longines Hong Kong and Macau.

James McDonald dominated the Longines World's Best Jockey competition throughout the 2022 racing season, ultimately winning the title by a wide margin. The New Zealand-born jockey is the second Australian-based rider to win the Longines World's Best Jockey Award, following Hugh Bowman's victory in 2017. McDonald was recognized at a ceremony held during the Longines Hong Kong International Races Gala dinner on Dec. 9, 2022, at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre. Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chair of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), and Cecilia Kwok, Vice President of Longines Hong Kong and Macau, presented McDonald with an elegant Longines timepiece as well as a crystal vase.

“It's been an amazing year,” said McDonald. “Consistency all the way through has probably been the biggest thing: getting on really good horses and having a great association with them. It's a massive honor to be named Longines World's Best Jockey, and I am extremely proud of it.”

McDonald won nine of the world's Top 100 Group or Grade 1 races, with his qualifying victories coming in the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes (Home Affairs), TAB Chipping Norton Stakes (Verry Elleegant), Sky Racing Active Rosehill Guineas (Anamoe), Furphy T J Smith Stakes (Nature Strip), Schweppes All Aged Stakes (Cascadian), Winx Stakes (Anamoe), Fujitsu General George Main Stakes (Anamoe), Neds Might And Power Stakes (Anamoe), and Ladbrokes Cox Plate (Anamoe).

After finishing third in the 2021 competition, McDonald won this year's award by an impressive margin of 46 points. The scoring process rewards jockeys for finishing in the top three, giving McDonald a total of 142 points on the year. Ryan Moore, who has won the Longines World's Best Jockey title three times, was second with 96 points, while William Buick was third with 78 points.

The awarding of the Longines World's Best Jockey title is based upon performances in the 100 highest-rated Group 1 and Grade 1 races as established for the year by the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings Committee. The scoring incorporates races from Dec. 1 of the previous year until Nov. 30 of the current year. Jockeys accrue 12 points for a win, 6 points for placing second, and 4 points for placing third.

The Longines World's Best Jockey Award was established nine years ago by Swiss watch brand Longines and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) as a way to quantitatively recognise a jockey as the best among his or her global peers. It marked the first time a rider was honoured in such a way. Moore was the inaugural recipient of the Longines World's Best Jockey Award, which was established in 2014, and he also won in 2016 and 2021. Frankie Dettori has won the award four times, with his victories coming in 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

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Championship On The Line In Hanshin Juvenile Fillies

An impeccably credentialed bunch of 18 juvenile fillies line up in the 1600-metre ¥125,200,000 G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies on Sunday, and one of the prospective favourites is Sunday Racing's Umbrail (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}).

Undefeated in a pair of 1400-metre starts at Tokyo and Hanshin in June and October, the daughter of listed-placed L'Archetto (Jpn) (Falbrav {Ire}) is a full-sister to G1 Mile Championship hero Stelvio (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), one of three black-type horses for their dam.

“She has had two very strong races and we are having to deal with some mental after-effects of those,” said assistant trainer Yu Ota. “I think her coat is looking much better now than it was before her last race and I'm hoping to see her improve further. She handled the long trip to Hanshin well last time and I'm not concerned about the race distance being a mile. She has a lot of potential and if she can concentrate on her racing, things should go well.”

She faces the similarly undefeated Ravel (Jpn) (Kitasan Black {Jpn}), who bears the Carrot Farm colours and, after a win at Kikura in June, defeated Liberty Island (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) by a neck in the G3 Artemis S. at Tokyo on Oct. 29. Like Umbrail, the daughter of the G3 Fairy S. third Sambre Et Meuse (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}) is a half-sister to a group winner, in this case the year-older dual Classic-placed Namur (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}), successful in the G2 Tulip Sho, second in the G1 Shuka Sho and third in the G1 Japanese Oaks.

“In the Artemis S., despite the slow pace, she stayed very much well in hand, and that was huge,” said assistant trainer Takahide Ando. “As I've always said, she has never been a good eater. She still could do a little better, but compared to earlier, she's better. We were able to give her a good hard workout as planned last week, but we still are aiming to get more muscle on her.”

Also a Sunday Racing colourbearer, Liberty Island will attempt to rebound from her Artemis second. Her dam is the Australia Champion 2-Year-Old and 3-Year-Old Filly Yankee Rose (Aus) (All American {Aus}), who did earn a Group 1 win in the Inglis Sires at two and was also second in the G1 Golden Slipper, before adding a G1 Sprint Champion S. victory at three.

Fumio Takahasi's Moryana (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) has won her first two starts by a combine five lengths. A ¥30,000,000 weaning out of the 2020 JRHA Select Sale, she is the third foal, runner and winner for her dam, the dual winner Garder Le Sourire (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}), whose extended family includes the Group 1 winner Wind In Her Hair (Ire) (Alzao), later the dam of Sunday Silence's best sire son Deep Impact (Jpn).

G3 Sapporo Nisai S. heroine Dura (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) does not have an unbeaten record to protect, and she defeated Doe Eyes (Jpn) (Rulership {Jpn}) by a length in the Nisai S. at Sapporo in early September. The same could be said for G3 Hakodate Nisai S. victress Bouton D'Or (Jpn) (Big Arthur {Jpn}), who enters this test on the back of a runner-up effort in the G3 KBS Kyoto Sho Fantasy S. to Rivara (Jpn) (Kinshasa No Kiseki {Aus}).

“She'll be going into the race without a sharpener and we're preparing her with that in mind,” said assistant trainer Atsushi Nishioka. “She has gotten all the base work in and all has gone according to plan. She has no weak points. She has a big stride and I think the spacious course will suit her.”

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Dec. 9: Busy Day For Tight First-Crop Sire Race

by Margaret Ransom

Since neither of the top three first-crop sires battling it out to win the 2022 division title had a runner on Thursday, their numbers remain unchanged. The focus now turns to a busy Friday with Bolt d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) in a solid position to pull away from both Justify (Scat Daddy) and Good Magic (Curlin) with six runners total–three in the fifth race at Turfway Park, two in the sixth at Woodbine and another at Oaklawn Park. Good Magic's lone runner on Friday–Zia Park Juvenile S. winner How Did He Do That–is entered in the Advent S. at Oaklawn Park, while Justify's daughter, Prove My Love, is set to contest the fourth race at Turfway Park.

Note that Japanese earnings are added every Sunday night, and there may be delayed reporting from other countries, which could postpone the final results in a very tight race into early January. We will also be providing a preview of 2-year-olds entered the next day in North America and beyond.

Current Earnings Standings through racing of Dec. 8

1st—Bolt d'Oro, $2,482,229

2nd—Good Magic, $2,446,087

3rd—Justify, $2,281,355

The TDN sire lists contain full-dollar earnings of Northern Hemisphere foals winning anywhere in the world. To view the current standings updated overnight, click here.

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Remington: Thursday’s Final Two Races Canceled Due To Heavy Fog

The final two races of Thursday night's nine-race card at Remington Park were canceled when heavy fog continued to descend on the track.

By the seventh race, the horses racing down the backstretch totally disappeared as they went into the turn and didn't reappear until after they passed the quarter pole into the stretch. In order to protect the horses and jockeys from any safety problems as there was not enough visibility, races eight and nine were canceled.

Here are the payouts for wagers following the cancellation for the last two PICK 3s, the Primetime PICK 4, and the late DAILY DOUBLE:

PICK 3 (Races 6-7-8) payout is horses 3 or 4 in race 6, the 1 in race 7, with all in race 8 for a return of $5.20.

PICK 3 (Races 7-8-9) payout is horse 1 in race 7 with all in race 8 with all in race 9 for a return of $3.35.

PICK 4 (Races 6-7-8-9) payout is horses 1,3,4 in race 6 with 1 in race 7 with all in race 8 and 9 returned $4.85.

All straight wagers and late daily double for races 8 and 9 were refunded since those races were canceled.

Remington Park racing continues Friday and Saturday, Dec. 9-10 with the first race nightly at 7:07pm-Central. There are now six race dates remaining in the 2022 season.

Tracked by more than 172,000 fans on Facebook and 10,700 Twitter followers, Remington Park has provided more than $311 Million to the State of Oklahoma general education fund since the opening of the casino in 2005. Located at the junction of Interstates 35 & 44, in the heart of the Oklahoma City Adventure District, Remington Park features the $400,000 Springboard Mile, our top 2-year-old race on the final night of the season on Saturday, December 17. Remington Park also presents simulcast racing daily and non-stop casino gaming. Visit remingtonpark.com for more information.

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