McDonald bullish as Coolangatta enjoys a taste of Ascot

Australian raiders Coolangatta and Cannonball warmed up for Tuesday’s King’s Stand Stakes with separate workouts on Ascot’s straight track on Wednesday morning.

Coolangatta will be looking to enhance the formidable record of Lightning Stakes winners at Royal Ascot, with Choisir, Takeover Target, Miss Andretti, Scenic Blast, Black Caviar and Nature Strip all winning the five-furlong highlight prior to the the summer showpiece meeting.

With co-trainer Ciaron Maher in attendance, Coolangatta and big-race jockey James McDonald worked over just shy of five furlongs and the duo were comfortably clear of lead horse So Chic at the finish.

Maher said: “The idea was to bring Coolangatta here and have a look at the whole surrounds. We did a bit of paddock schooling and then had a nice look at the track.

“She stretched nicely to the line and James said she took quite a while to pull up. He was beaming about the work and it was everything I wanted to see.

“She has really thrived since being here – she is in the very quiet surrounds of Lambourn – and she was in need of a nice hit out to keep a lid on her.”

McDonald was one of the leading riders at Royal Ascot last year with three winners, headlined by Nature Strip’s dominant display in the King’s Stand Stakes, and the New Zealand-born rider is looking forward to returning this year.

McDonald said: “Royal Ascot is one of the greatest weeks in racing. I definitely circle it every year and, if I am lucky enough to come here, then I am on the plane straightaway. With the racing and the whole atmosphere, it is one of the best carnivals in the world. It is hard to get rides at Royal Ascot but I should have maybe 11 or 12 rides over the week.

“Coolangatta handled the track beautifully. She ticked a lot of boxes and I was delighted the way she stretched and extended. I let her breeze through the line and she pulled up extremely well. She is a strong five-furlong horse and an extremely talented filly. She is a dual Group One winner who has beaten one of the best sprinters in Australia in I Wish I Win.

“She did it really well over the five furlongs at Flemington, which gives us a bit of confidence coming here. The quality she beat that day in the Lightning was simply sensational – any of those sprinters could travel anywhere around the world and be competitive.

“Nature Strip was a champion racehorse but Coolangatta is getting there and I have no doubt she will run well on Tuesday. This morning has given me a lot of confidence.”

Coolangatta’s compatriot Cannonball, who represents the training partnership of Peter and Paul Snowden, was last seen finishing third in the Group One Galaxy Handicap at Rosehill in March.

The Capitalist colt also enjoyed an Ascot blowout over just short of five furlongs, after which Peter Snowden expressed his satisfaction.

“Cannonball did a routine piece of work. He is quite a gross colt and he needed that,” he said.

“He arrived here on Friday and had a few easy days, which he had taken the benefit of. The gallop today will bring him back up to the mark somewhat. He will do a bit more on Saturday morning and then he will be ready to go.

“My expectations are always exceeded. He is an inexperienced horse but, in his two starts for me, he has shown that he is well above average.

“He won the Maurice McCarten in a very fast time and backed up a week later in a Group One, when he probably could have won. He is climbing up the ladder pretty quickly.”

Regarding the success of Australian sprinters at Royal Ascot, Snowden said: “We focus a lot on speed. Our two-year-old races are worth a fortune, colts are now worth a fortune, and it makes sense to get them up and running early. If a colt wins a Golden Slipper and a Caulfield Guineas, they are worth 50 million.

"With the breeding, we do not think about racing for Melbourne Cups worth eight million when the Everest is worth 15 or 20 million. Our emphasis is just going the other way to you guys here, where it is all about the Classics, which is fantastic for the longevity and depth of breeding. Our mindset is all about speed on speed on speed and quick returns. Whether it is good or bad, I am not sure, but that is what our industry in Australia is built on.”