Expat Kiwi jockey James McDonald had barely come down from the high of winning the Gr.1 King’s Stand Stakes (1000m) aboard down-under sprinting sensation Nature Strip at Royal Ascot when he was once again victorious at the Royal meeting.
On Wednesday he guided home Dark Shift to win the Royal Hunt Cup (1600m) for trainer Charlie Hills, for whom he worked for as a teenager.
“It worked out really well,” McDonald said. “I was fortunate to have a sit on him on Tuesday and he was a pretty enthusiastic, gassy sort of horse.
“It was probably lucky that I did have a sit on him because I knew him pretty well today and he executed it beautifully.
“Charlie said he was extremely confident. He was very surprised he wasn’t favourite.
“He ran really well. He stayed the mile out strongly, which he needed to do, and showed a good turn of foot to get him out of trouble back in the field.”
McDonald said he was still coming to grips with the magnitude of his victory aboard Nature Strip earlier in the week.
“Nature Strip was our headline horse and it was great to get him home. Now you can enjoy the rest of the carnival,” he said.
“It was pretty remarkable. I didn’t grasp how big of a deal it was to everyone. To turn my phone on and to receive so many congratulations and well-wishes was overwhelming.”
