McDonald a dominant force on Derby day
James McDonald is on track to smash his Cup week record of 10 winners, after logging four of the first six winners on Derby day, including the $2 million Coolmore Stud Stakes on In Secret.
Last year Godolphin Australia’s head trainer James Cummings and managing director Vin Cox went to the sales together, and they bought just one horse – In Secret – paying $900,000 for the daughter of I’m Invincible out of Eloping.
With Saturday’s win, she became a Group I winner for the first time, making amends for her narrow defeat in the Golden Rose, and Cummings said he can only imagine what sort of race she might have run in The Everest after the stable decided to run Ingratiating in their slot instead.
McDonald’s four wins saw him one shy of the Derby day record, but placings on Kiwi horses Sharp ‘N’ Smart in the Derby and favourite La Crique in the Empire Rose denied the Sydney star a second Group I win for the day.
He won the Coolmore last year on Home Affairs, and again made it look easy on Saturday, as he sprinted clear of the filly’s rivals.
‘‘That Coolmore Stud Stakes has become the Golden Slipper of the spring carnival for three-yearolds,’’ Cummings said.
‘‘We’ve bided our time with In Secret. Five weeks off hasn’t fazed her, we had her rock-hard fit, and you very rarely see them draw away from them over six furlongs, and she was far too good.’’
In the Empire Rose, consistent mare Icebath finally broke through to win a Group I, with Craig Williams giving the Brad Widdup-trained miler an economic run in transit.
The boom Kiwi mare La Crique was given every chance by McDonald, but the challengers swamped her late, with Icebath climbing up the fence to beat outsider Mirra Vision.
It was a 70th Group I for Williams, who the previous week won the Manikato Stakes on Bella Nipotina, and a week earlier won The Everest on Giga Kick.
McDonald said La Crique, who finished fourth, would be better suited over 2000 metres.
‘‘She’s a beautiful mare, probably just looking for a tad further,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s just the way she races, she levels out really quickly, but she’s a beautiful mare, a great mover and over 2000 she’ll be very effective.’’
Meanwhile, Peter Moody and Luke Nolen are back in business as one of the more formidable partnerships in Australian racing.
A trainer and jockey combination best known for their association with unbeaten champion Black Caviar, Moody and Nolen teamed up to win the $10 million Golden Eagle at Rosehill with former New Zealander I Wish I Win.
With the exception of several seasons when Moody left the training ranks before returning to racing in 2020, they have been an inseparable team for the past 15 years.
They have combined for 32 Group I wins, with Black Caviar accounting for 15 of those triumphs.
I Wish I Win’s victory against international competition in the Golden Eagle confirmed they once again have the ammunition to make an impact on the turf’s biggest stage.
In a heart-stopping finish, I Wish I Win ($8.50) held off Fangirl ($12) to claim Australia’s secondrichest race by a nose.