McDonald suspended after Romantic Warrior’s Hong Kong Group 1 triumph

Champion jockey James McDonald has been suspended for eight race days following his winning ride aboard Romantic Warrior in the Group 1 Champions & Chater Cup at Sha Tin, ruling him out of the Queensland Oaks meeting.

McDonald partnered Romantic Warrior to a fighting victory in the 2400m feature to secure his 20th Group 1 success of the season across all jurisdictions.

It was also his 13th elite-level win aboard the champion gelding before being charged over an incident near the 300m involving Deep Monster.

Hong Kong Jockey Club stewards found McDonald guilty of careless riding after directing Romantic Warrior inward when not sufficiently clear of Deep Monster, which was checked near the 200m and shifted out into heavy contact with the winner.

Stewards suspended McDonald from June 3 to June 11 and also issued a HK$120,000 fine (A$21,400), grading the carelessness at level three with consequences assessed at level two.

The suspension will not prevent McDonald from riding Monopolistic in Saturday’s Queensland Derby or Fangirl in the Kingsford-Smith Cup at Eagle Farm, but he will miss the following weekend’s Queensland Oaks, where he had the option of partnering Panova or Chispa for trainer Chris Waller.