With a fourth straight Sydney metropolitan century and seemingly a sixth Sydney jockeys' premiership in the bag, Kiwi jockey James McDonald is preparing to jet off to England for a seventh appearance at the Royal Ascot meeting later this month.
McDonald will partner champion sprinter Nature Strip in the Group 1 King's Stand Stakes on June 14 and Home Affairs in the G1 Platinum Jubilee Stakes on June 18.
He rode Nature Strip to win a three-horse jump out at Flemington last Friday, finishing alongside Home Affairs and the Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained Artorius, who is also Royal Ascot-bound.
He compared the jumpout favorably to when the pair tackled a similar assignment leading into their one-two finish in the G1 Lightning at Flemington in February.
“It's been very hard for Home Affairs to get ready because of the wet tracks in Sydney but as soon as he hits fast ground, he improves lengths so it was great to see him trial as good as he had against Nature Strip before the Lightning. He was brilliant,” McDonald said.
“If you take a line through that, we know he's on target. Nature Strip is absolutely airborne. He couldn't be going much better. He's just thriving at the moment. Both horses are going as well as they were leading into the Lightning, which is a good sign.”
McDonald couldn't hide his excitement about returning to Royal Ascot and riding at one of the world's premier weeks of racing.
“It's one of my favorite places anywhere in the world to ride. It's the first time I've gone over there with really quality horses I've had an association with before and they have got to be genuine chances in their respective fields. I'm really looking forward to it.
“Every year I've gone there, apart from the Godolphin days when I was still probably only third in line, I've always gone there picking up spares just to be part of the carnival, whereas this time I've got two Australian horses that look as good a chances as any in their races.
“At the moment I can't take outside rides until the visa comes through. It would be good to get it because there are some nice Australian horses heading up there that I'd love to ride over there too.”
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