Australia’s champion rider James McDonald is on the verge of world domination in 2024 with the jockey on Saturday set to further his already massive lead in the Longines world’s best jockey title.
A win by McDonald aboard I Wish I Win in Saturday’s G1 Doomben 10,000 would see him shoot to a staggering 72 point lead over his nearest rival Yuga Kawada with a wealth of opportunities to extend that margin until the competition ends in late November.
Jockeys score 12 points for each win in one of the world’s top 100 rated races with McDonald’s current score of 98 points containing five wins in eligible races with three of those coming aboard Romantic Warrior in Hong Kong.
There are just three races remaining in Australia before the spring begins with points available in the Doomben 10,000, Kingsford-Smith Stakes and Stradbroke Handicap.
I Wish I Win is a chance to run in at least two of those.
McDonald is a previous winner of the world’s best jockey title in 2022. Ryan Moore won in 2023 (156 points) and in 2021 (112 points) with Frankie Dettori winning the 2020 title (102 points) and the 2019 title (102 points).
The New Zealand-born rider has been a feature at Royal Ascot over the past few seasons but while he doesn’t have a firm booking for the mid-June royal carnival, he is a chance to make the trip with the carnival starting three days after the June 15 Stradbroke Handicap meeting in Brisbane.
There are 10 more races in Melbourne and Sydney during the spring where jockeys will earn points towards the title. The final race of the series is the Japan Cup, which is run on November 24.
McDonald is also keeping a close eye on the fight for the NSW jockey’s premiership as he strives for a sixth state title in a row and an eighth overall.
George Moore holds the record for NSW premierships on end with eight with McDonald aiming to join Ron Quinton with six straight wins. He currently shares five titles in a row with Darren Beadman.
Current world jockey’s table for 2024 (as at May 14)
James McDonald 98 pts
Yuga Kawada 38
Zac Purton 36
Opie Bosson 30
Damian Lane 30
William Buick 28
– racing.com