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Sport Nation
J-Mac reigns supreme
Nick Quinn • December 4th, 2025 7:20 pm
James McDonald with his manager Mark Guest | Photo: Supplied
Many racing fans across New Zealand and Australia proudly proclaim that James McDonald is the best jockey in the world and those claims have once again been made official with the news McDonald has won the Longines World’s Best Jockey title for the second consecutive year and third time overall having first won the title in 2022.
The New Zealand-born, Australian-based jockey scored a total of 184 points in a competition that rewarded the jockeys for finishing in the top three placings throughout the year.
In dominating this year’s award, McDonald held a sizeable lead throughout much of the competition, with Mickael Barzalona second with 132 points and William Buick third with 114 points.
His manager Mark Guest paid tribute to McDonald.
“Yes, he is talented, but he is unbelievably hard working.” Guest said.
“He lives, breathes and eats racing, his work ethic is second to none. He does not miss anything and is always watching racing and collating information from all over the world.”
“Even though he has won this award before, he never takes it for granted and is always looking to improve.”
“He does all his own form, so he is the ultimate professional.” Guest said.
In winning 12 of the world’s Top 100 Group or Grade 1 races, James McDonald claimed four victories in Hong Kong alone — the Longines Hong Kong Cup on Romantic Warrior and three with Voyage Bubble in the Longines Hong Kong Mile, Stewards’ Cup and Hong Kong Gold Cup.
And with Via Sistina in Australia it was the Verry Elleegant Stakes, Ranvet Stakes, Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Winx Stakes, Ladbrokes Cox Plate and Champions Stakes, while it was the Doomben 10,000 on Sunshine in Paris and Kingsford‐Smith Cup on Joliestar.
The Longines World’s Best Jockey title is based on performances in the 100 highest-rated Group 1 and Grade 1 races as established for the year by the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings Committee.
The scoring incorporates races from 1 December of the previous year until 30 November of the current year, with 12 points for a win, 6 points for placing second, and 4 points for placing third.
A ceremony will be held during the gala dinner of the Longines Hong Kong International Races on 12 December 2025 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre to honour McDonald.
The Longines World’s Best Jockey Award was established 12 years ago by Swiss watch brand Longines and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities as a way to quantitatively recognise a jockey as the best among his or her global peers.
Ryan Moore was the inaugural recipient of the Longines World’s Best Jockey Award, which was established in 2014, and his other wins came in 2016, 2021, and 2023.
Frankie Dettori has also won the award four times, with his victories coming in 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2020, while Hugh Bowman from Australia won the award in 2017.
McDonald will ride in Hong Kong for the rest of 2025 and resume riding in Australia in January 2026.
