Blunt of dialogue but fair-dinkum, John O’Shea played a driving force in the rise and rise of James McDonald but was a scratching at Rosehill Gardens last Saturday for the champion jockey’s record-breaking extravaganza.
O’Shea was singing the exceptional ability of the New Zealander, now 34, when he arrived in Sydney as a green teenager.
J-Mac struck pitfalls but the O’Shea support never yielded. Alas, the trainer, always with a dash of Queensland outback grit, has struck turbulence with Racing NSW vets in an era when a honey is the required tone.
And it doesn’t come any sweeter than the Kiwi twang of J-Mac and his partner in records, trainer Chris Waller, who was a major contributor, supplying remarkable fit and healthy mounts.
J-Mac reached the heights of champion, by me not a description used lightly, at such a tender vintage, topping Damian Oliver’s 129 Group Ones on a superb Golden Slipper Day, one of the best.
Sure, the fact that there were more Group Ones now than when George Moore, with a Tommy Smith foundation, rampaged at the top. Between them, constant consternation.
Wise guys will opine the opposition to J-Mac is not strong. I disagree. Jockeys now are just as good.
For instance the youth and brilliance of Zac Lloyd taking the $5 million Golden Slipper on Guest House was exemplary with the two-year-old sprint having the usual traffic problems, particularly Zambales (Nash Rawiller) and Campione D’italia (Damian Lane) but Lloyd weaved a bold course to success.
Still the Golden Slipper and J-Mac, nor Matt Damon, who looked nothing like the A lister from Good Will Hunting or Jason Bourne, could top Autumn Glow taking 11 out of 11 in the Ryder Stakes.
Tom Cruise on a Rosehill visit looked more Darren Beadman, then the local headliner, than Jack Reacher.
Be it horse or human, a champion is one that radiates the experience of being in the company of greatness. Some outstanding performers can produce a one-off performance but a sequence is required.
The way she ditched the worthy Ryder opposition was special, like J-Mac. I would have loved to see her in the Doncaster, really testing the “c” mettle, but connections prefer easier weight-for-age assignments.
What’s J-Mac’s key? Super-cool under fire. Earlier with the pizzazz of Autumn Boy he made sure of being mentally prepared for the next assignment on Autumn Glow.
Chris Barrett is the jockey’s valet, the equivalent of a gentleman’s gentleman. Barrett, a former capable hoop, tends to J-Mac gear and supplies a quiet word and support when necessary. George Moore never had a valet. With his hair trigger personality, the assistant would not have lasted two races.
“James is just so thorough and calm,” Barrett related following Autumn Boy. “After I checked the gear, he went over it as he always does. Then he sat down and studied the form, probably for the 100th time.”
A good bloke and wonderful horseman, Murphy was more vinegar in the O’Shea mould than sugar, but lacked the diplomacy currently required.
Ironically Saturday’s Rosehill attendance, just over 15,000, was not superior to Gosford, the venue of the South Sydney – Tigers clash but it was a stimulating result for the race club. I’ve been to Rosehill with over 25,000 and it was “never again” bedlam. The Golden Slipper program was a triumph for the current Australian Turf Club management, under fire from recalcitrant Racing NSW.
At Gosford Jai Gray again showed his worth for the Rabbits, knocked rotten, but would not stay dimmed while coach Wayne Bennett, in the after-match interview again matched Jack Denham, a supreme with horses, but hardly verbose.
Until Bennett, nobody matched Denham when it came to sour and surly.
BAD but there was enough GOOD in and around Sydney on Saturday with the UGLY coming on Saturday with Mark Zahra’s whip breach on Meridius, a short half head victor at Caulfield.
Zahra hit his mount four times over the limit before the 100 metres, gained an unfair advantage and was suspended. Considering the minor margin at the end surely this made a difference to the result. No protest.
Horse-sense: “James’s father Brett, my ex-husband, I remember him saying he really didn’t know if James had enough dog in him to be a great rider. He did not mean it in a bad way, but James was just such a nice quiet boy. He obviously has enough dog in him,” – Dianne, mother of J-Mac, in the “Weekend Australian”.
