J-Mac to ride in Hong Kong for extended period

Champion jockey James McDonald has been granted a licence to ride in Hong Kong for a six-week period, starting from next week.

The Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m)-winning jockey had already been given the go ahead by the Hong Kong Jockey Club to take part in next month’s International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley, and was also expected to be in action at the Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin four days later, where local star Romantic Warrior (Acclamation), who the Kiwi partnered to a win in the Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) at Moonee Valley on October 28, is expected to line up.

 However, McDonald will now take up rides in Hong Kong from November 23, up to and including January 1, further whetting the appetite of the prospect that ‘J-Mac’ may potentially make a more permanent move to the jurisdiction in the future.