G1 Lightning Stakes ures James McDonald to Melbourne

Top jockey James McDonald receives a flood of ride requests each week from leading stables, especially those based in Sydney.

When major races clash between his hometown and Melbourne, deciding where to ride becomes a tough call.

This Saturday, McDonald will head to Flemington to partner with the Chris Waller-trained Switzerland in the Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m). This means he will miss the chance to ride his Cox Plate-winning mare, Via Sistina, who is set to resume in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes (1400m) at Randwick, with Kerrin McEvoy taking the reins instead.

McDonald admitted that deciding where to ride was difficult, given the high-quality horses running in both Sydney and Melbourne this weekend.

“It’s always a tough call, but you can’t be in two places at once, and this weekend is a perfect example,” McDonald told Sky Racing radio in Sydney.

“We’ve got top-class horses resuming at Randwick, and then there’s Switzerland in the Lightning.

“I sit down with Chris, and he makes the final call on where I should go.

“It’s disappointing to miss those runners at Randwick, but at the same time, I’m thrilled to be riding Switzerland.

“It’s a bit of a catch-22, but it’s a great position to be in.”

McDonald will be aiming for his second Lightning Stakes victory, having previously won with Home Affairs in 2022. Like Home Affairs, Switzerland is a three-year-old attempting to take out the Lightning first-up after securing victory in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington last spring.

McDonald is eager to reunite with the talented colt on race day.

“He’s a high-class colt. His Coolmore win was incredible,” McDonald said.

“He handled the straight track beautifully, and we’re hoping he can do it again against older horses.

“This is a massive test for him, but he’s had the ideal preparation with two trials and a solid straight-track gallop.

“Even though this might be his biggest challenge yet, he’s in great shape, and we expect him to run a strong race.”

Switzerland showed early promise by winning his first three starts before encountering a couple of setbacks. However, he bounced back impressively in the spring, reinforcing McDonald’s belief in his ability.

“He’s a very talented horse—he’s shown it from day one. Now it’s about seeing if he can take that next step to weight-for-age racing, which I believe he can,” McDonald said.

“I’m quietly confident he’s up for it.”