JAMES MCDONALD TALKS ABOUT ROMANTIC WARRIOR WITH LOVE AND ADMIRATION
By Graham Potter | Thursday, December 5, 2024
Nobody can ever claim that the 2024 Longines World’s Best Jockey, James McDonald, is ever short of ambition.
Two comments McDonald made in the official Longines HKJC International Races media conference, attended by HRO’s Darren Winningham, underline that fact in no uncertain terms, confirming what McDonald really is all about … being the best and being associated with the best.
Like targeting the World’s Best Jockey title.
“Winning the World’s Best Jockey title is very much part of the year,” said McDonald. “When you ride the likes of Romantic Warrior and Via Sistina, it’s an achievable goal we like to strive for.”
Or, wanting to help take a horse like Romantic Warrior into rarified air.
“Hopefully he (Romantic Warrior) can win a third Hong Kong Cup on Sunday,” said McDonald. “It would be really fitting if he can do that and ultimately go down as probably the best Hong Kong horse ever to grace the Sha Tin turf.
‘That’s our main goal … and, yeah, he is well on his way.”
As stated earlier, there is nothing lacking in the ambition department here.
And McDonald’s affection and understanding of the Danny Shum trained star is also clearly evident when he talks about Romantic Warrior.
“He is the most push button horse you can much to do with,” volunteered McDonald. “The closest you can get to him is Anamoe. He was a phenomenal horse … a nine-time Group 1 winner.
“He (Romantic Warrior) is just a perfect racehorse. He has got gate-speed … sustained speed … it doesn’t matter whether it is wet or dry … a fast or a slow tempo.
“He is pretty much unflappable over the mile-and-a-quarter.
“It’s going to be no easy task on Sunday,” (when Romantic Warrior will attempt to win the Longines Hong Kong Cup once again). “The Japanese are coming here in strong force, so we will need the right run, but he is the right horse to do it on the day.
‘He is so self-explanatory. I really enjoy riding him.”
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