Other major wins in Australia include the AJC Derby (2), Caulfield Guineas (3), Champions Stakes (4), Coolmore Stud Stakes (3), Champions Sprint (4), Epsom Handicap (1), Golden Slipper Stakes (1), Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2), The Galaxy (2), TJ Smith Stakes (3), Victoria Derby (1) and Winx Stakes (4).
Outside Australia, the champion jockey has Group 1 wins in England, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates.
It’s an incredible CV, but there are some big Group 1s missing.
Blue Diamond Stakes: McDonald doesn’t usually take part in the race, due to it clashing with opportunities in Sydney, and his most recent Diamond ride was back in the 2014 when he finished 15th behind Earthquake on Nayeli for Gai Waterhouse.
Caulfield Cup: The only one of racing’s ‘Grand Slam’ (Cox Plate, Golden Slipper, Melbourne Cup and Caulfield) missing from McDonald’s trophy cabinet. Like the Blue Diamond, the Caulfield Cup clashes with feature races in Sydney, so McDonald isn’t a regular participant. He finished runner-up behind Admire Rakti on the top Kiwi mare Rising Romance ($12) in 2014. Most recently, McDonald was 17th on Francesco Guardi ($26) for Chris Waller in 2023. In 2018, when Godolphin visitor Best Solution was triumphant, he finished sixth on The Taj Mahal ($16) for Lloyd Williams and Liam Howley.
Champions Mile: The New Zealand-born jockey didn’t partake last year when Leica Lucy was scratched. Twelve months earlier, he rode Fangirl ($5) into third, the same horse he guided into fourth in 2023 when a $2.40 favourite. McDonald was third on Cascadian ($13) in 2021 and second aboard Le Romain ($13) in 2018.
Doncaster Mile: McDonald has won 37 Group 1s at Randwick, but the famous Doncaster Mile – one of the biggest races in Sydney – has eluded the champion. He finished second in 2015 behind Kermadec on the $10 chance Real Impact. McDonald hasn’t had a Doncaster ride since 2022, when he rode Cascadian ($26) to ninth.
Stradbroke Handicap: Queensland’s biggest and best race is another to elude McDonald. His most recent Stradbroke ride was in 2023, when he rode Vilana ($21) into 10th. He’s also had unplaced rides on Mr Quickie, Home Of The Brave, Delectation and Knoydart.