J-Mac: Makybe Diva tactics in our court

Superstar hoop James McDonald has outlined how he intends to ride Via Sistina in Saturday’s Makybe Diva Stakes.

This weekend will be the first time McDonald and Via Sistina have faced Pride Of Jenni since her barnstorming victory in the Queen Elizabeth where jockey Declan Bates gave the field a riding lesson aboard the Ciaron Maher-trained mare.

Bates famously took up the running in that Group 1 encounter where he caught the other riders napping over the 2000m trip.

Much has been made of that run since as to how riders like McDonald and Craig Williams (Mr Brightside) will approach the front-running tactics next start.

Speaking to SENTrack on Tuesday morning, McDonald believes the former European galloper won't be found out in a high-tempo encounter based off her previous runs in Europe.

“I hope so, it’s always an advantage to be sitting closer especially to the likes of Pride Of Jenni as to try and make up so much ground like the Queen Elizabeth,” McDonald told SENTrack.

“It’d be nice to be sitting outside her that’s for sure, if Via Sistina wants to jump and put herself there then by all means I’d be happy for it.

“I think that would be an asset for her (embracing the hot tempo), she comes from Europe and they run at pretty quick tempos so sought of races and I think in the Champions Stakes that day where she got beaten by King Of Steel who went and franked that form in a Breeders Cup and that race was run very strongly and she really appreciated that.

“She obviously needs to execute well early doors and then she’ll be very hard to beat, we obviously don’t want the same scenario as we had in the Queen Elizabeth as it makes it impossible for us, but the ball will be in our court I suppose to make it happen and we’ll see how we go.”

Via Sistina is the $2.20 favourite in front of Mr Brightside ($4.40) and Pride Of Jenni ($5.50).

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