Five hours and 40 minutes after Mackinnon contests the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, a Group 1 race bearing his name – with a bigger purse! – will be run at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse. The $2 million AUD Mackinnon Stakes is the eighth on a Friday night card whose first post is 6:40 p.m. Pacific — offering fans a seamless transition from Day One of the Breeders' Cup. It's rare for a $2 million race to be considered a consolation, but the riches in Australian racing at this time of the year are such that connections of Zaaki could well feel that way. Zaaki was favorite for the $5 million Cox Plate two weeks ago, but was sensationally scratched on race morning with an elevated temperature. The Annabel Neasham-trained gelding, victorious in five of his last six starts, has rebounded quickly and will again carry the weight of public support (3-2) in the Mackinnon.
Zaaki was to have been ridden in the Cox Plate by James McDonald, who watched as another of his regular mounts, Verry Elleegant, finished strongly for third. History shows that “J-Mac” reunited with Verry Elleegant for the mare's triumph in Monday night's Melbourne Cup. The champion jockey is again scheduled to pilot Zaaki in Friday night's Mackinnon, at 1 1/4 miles. This past April, 29-year-old McDonald became the youngest jockey in Australia to record 50 G1 wins. He now chases a 21-year-old record for most wins (nine) during Flemington's four-day “Melbourne Cup Carnival,” which finishes this Friday night – a record held by Brett Prebble, whom McDonald idolized growing up and whom McDonald ironically relegated to runner-up status in the Melbourne Cup (Prebble rode the favorite, Incentivise).
Undoubtedly, the bulk of J-Mac's success has been borne of his association with Chris Waller. In a 17-day span, the all-conquering combination captured Australia's two richest races: The Everest with Nature Strip and Melbourne Cup with Verry Elleegant. For all of Waller's wonderful management of Winx throughout her 33 consecutive wins, the aforementioned double garners greater respect from his peers. Both Nature Strip and Verry Elleegant were notorious as younger horses for being head-strong and untractable. Nature Strip was an enigma, whose raw speed proved almost impossible to harness; Verry Elleegant had as many quirks as the spelling of her name. Each horse has undeniably benefitted from Waller's patient tutelage, as they proved the epitome of professionalism while capturing Australia's two richest prizes – at the polarized distances of six furlongs and two miles. Apart from Waller, the other common denominator is James McDonald.
Fittingly, Nature Strip will make an encore appearance this Friday night, as hot favorite for the G1 VRC Sprint Classic (Race 6). Despite a million-dollar purse, many potential opponents have been scared off by the world's top-ranked turf sprinter. Nature Strip (2-5 favorite) is expected to dominate his eight rivals down Flemington's “Straight Six”-furlongs course.
Just as Day One of the Breeders' Cup is promoted as “Future Stars Friday” with its emphasis on juvenile races, Sydney's Rosehill Racecourse offers an early-season gift for 2-year-olds on Friday night. The Golden Gift (Race 7) is the first million-dollar race for youngsters on the calendar – an extraordinary purse just three months into the new southern hemisphere season.
At first glance, favoritism is strangely placed with a horse who debuted out of the money at 25-1. However, the zig-zag closing rush of Shalatin was impossible to miss. The colt broke from Gate 12 in a field of 13 and came from 12th position – all the while looking as green as a billiard table. In the Golden Gift, Shalatin (7-2) has drawn better in Gate 5 (and, by pure coincidence, will be program #5). His trainer, Joe Pride, has enjoyed tremendous recent success through the deeds of Eduardo and Private Eye (the latter takes on Zaaki in the Mackinnon Stakes).
The Flemington card will be broadcast on TVG this Friday night (First Post: 9:40 p.m. ET / 6:40 p.m. PT) alongside cards from Rosehill, Eagle Farm and Goulburn. All races will be live-streamed in HD on the new Sky Racing World App, skyracingworld.com and major ADW platforms such as TVG, TwinSpires, Xpressbet, NYRABets, WatchandWager, HPIbet, DRF Bets and AmWager. Wagering is also available via these ADW platforms. Fans can get free access to live-streaming, past performances and expert picks on all races at skyracingworld.com.
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