A chat with champion trainer Peter Moody has superstar jockey James McDonald confident I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel) will be ready to fly in Saturday’s Gr.1 T.J. Smith Stakes at Randwick.
The elite sprinter will be first-up in the race over 1200m on what could be a Heavy track, but McDonald is confident I Wish I Win will be ready to go.
I Wish I Win will jump from barrier four in the $3 million sprint and is currently a $3.60 chance with bookies.
McDonald said the likelihood of a wet track is ‘going to throw a spanner in the works’.
“It’s an interesting race. Pretty strong I feel,” McDonald told After The Last.
“Imperatriz’s form on Good ground is impeccable. I Wish I Win doesn’t mind the cut out of the track.
“The question mark is first-up in the T.J. on Heavy ground. He’s in the right hands to have him right on the day.
“The barrier suits us perfectly. In what looks a pretty even T.J., there’s a few chances there and he looks as good as anything. I’m sure if he’s right on the day, he will be exploding.
“I’ve spoken to Moods. He seems very confident. He said he’s very happy with where he is. By all reports, he’s going really well. At his best he’s as good as anything in the country.”
McDonald secured the ride on I Wish I Win after jockey Luke Nolen told connections he’d struggle to make the weight after suffering an injury earlier this year.
Sydney’s leading rider said he knows he is only warming the seat on I Wish I Win until Nolen is ready to return.
“Obviously it’s Luke’s ride. He will be taking over pretty much straight away,” McDonald said.
“It’s nice to fill in at the moment. Let’s hope he runs well and they have plenty to look forward to heading to Brisbane or wherever they head to.”
McDonald has a very strong hand on Saturday, partnering Riff Rocket in the G1 Australian Derby, where they have drawn barrier 10.
“He’s flying. He’s going really, really well. He hasn’t put a foot wrong,” McDonald said.
“We know he can run the trip, he will be as strong as every over the last furlong. He’s up to scratch.”
And he will also throw the leg back over Storm Boy in the G1 Sires’. Ryan Moore rode the horse in the Golden Slipper, where he finished a gallant third after missing the start.
“He is a horse that was always crying out for seven furlongs. He comes up with a good gate here,” McDonald said.
“I have worked him a couple of times since the Golden Slipper. He seems really, really well. He’s a big brute of a horse, so masculine. The query with all of us is how is he going to handle that wet ground?”
