James McDonald Left Big Races in Australia for Romantic Warrior

"Horse racing needed something extraordinary for me to miss Randwick, and Romantic Warrior is extraordinary," the jockey said

Romantic Warrior and James McDonald triumph in the Jebel Hatta at Meydan / DRC

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (Special for Turf Diario).- In a week where the world's top horses, jockeys, and trainers gather at Meydan, few have drawn as much attention as James McDonald, the current "World's Best Jockey," whose partnership with the Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior (Acclamation) has brought him to the Dubai World Cup for the first time.

Since the title was established in 2014, only four jockeys have achieved it: Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore, each with four titles, McDonald with two, and Hugh Bowman with one. Dettori is also the winningest jockey in the history of the Dubai World Cup Carnival, with 23 victories since 1996—nearly double the number of any other jockey. Moorehas also shone, with 10 wins since 2004.

However, for jockeys based in Australia, traveling to Dubai is not a regular occurrence. The event coincides with the Autumn Carnival in Sydney, one of the busiest and most lucrative times in the Australian racing calendar, making it difficult for professionals to take time off.

“This year it’s even more complicated because the Dubai World Cup is held a week later,” explained McDonald. “That means I’m missing huge races in Australia like the Doncaster Mile, the Australian Derby, and the T.J. Smith Stakes, where I had very important rides. But it took something extraordinary for me to miss Randwick this weekend... and Romantic Warrior is extraordinary.”

Bowman had his only appearance in Dubai’s big night in 2019, when he finished second with Cheval Grand (Heart's Cry) in the Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) and sixth with Brave Smash (Tosen Phantom) in the Al Quoz Sprint (G1).

Now, McDonald joins the list of stars who have participated in the event, riding three horses from Hong Kong: Romantic Warrior (Dubai Turf), trained by Danny Shum; Howdeepisyourlove (Deep Field) (Al Quoz Sprint), trained by John Size; and Sword Point (American Pharoah) (Godolphin Mile), trained by Frankie Lor.

“Romantic Warrior loves Dubai, and I think he’s in his best form,” McDonald said. “He came out of the Saudi Cup really well, and Danny has him in excellent condition. It’s going to be a tough race: he had a great battle with Liberty Island (Duramente) in Hong Kong, Facteur Cheval (Ribchester) is back on turf and won this race last year, and there are horses like Ghostwriter (Invincible Spirit) who are still evolving. But Romantic Warrior is a champion, and he’s already shown what he’s capable of in this Middle Eastern campaign.”

Regarding his other mounts, McDonald said: “Howdeepisyourlove has been running behind Ka Ying Rising(Shamexpress), who many consider the world’s best sprinter. When I rode down the Meydan stretch in January, I felt he needed more stamina than usual for the 1200 meters, and he has that stamina. He comes from the same race as California Spangle (Starspangledbanner) last year.”

“Sword Point has a tougher challenge, but we’re going to try to get him into the race from the start. In Hong Kong, there aren’t many opportunities for horses at his level on dirt. Frankie is a great trainer, and he deserves credit for bringing him here.”

Meydan is far from the fields of Waikato, on New Zealand’s North Island, where McDonald grew up dreaming of becoming a stockman. Like many other talents from his country, he took his skills to Australia, and today, he surpasses names like Brent Thomson, Shane Dye, Jim Cassidy, and Lance O’Sullivan... and he’s only 33 years old.

“When I was a kid, I lived for the farm and livestock, I had my own cattle rodeo,” he recalled. “We raced ponies with my brother, and I always loved competing. I wasn’t a natural rider, but I worked a lot, and I think I did pretty well.”

McDonald comfortably leads the 2025 World’s Best Jockey standings with 84 points—more than half the total with which he won last year—well ahead of Japan’s Ryusei Sakai (36), his winner in the Saudi Cup (G1).

But that race still haunts him. “I replay it over and over,” he confessed. “There are always things you think you could’ve done differently, but overall, I think Romantic Warrior had his chance. On dirt, momentum is key, and he had it. Asking him to sprint like on turf wouldn’t have worked. It was a beast that came to beat him, and I think it was his best performance, even in defeat.”

He closed with: “It’s so exciting to have two featured horses like Forever Young and Romantic Warrior in separate races on the same Saturday.”