McDonald’s Guineas hope: Angel Capital ready to shine

Growing up in such an environment, McDonald was immersed in racing from an early age. “From about 14, I was working full-time in the stables,” he recalls. “I was no good at school, so Mum and Dad told me to get out there and start mucking out boxes. I had a great education through my father and mother, and it’s held me in good stead.” 

McDonald believes success comes from hard work but also experience. “You’ve got to work hard to succeed, stay dedicated, and be consistent,” McDonald says. “That’s what we’ve done here – we’ve built up a nice stable.

But I think as a trainer, the older you get, the better you become.” 

McDonald has built a strong reputation for developing high-quality racehorses, with Regal Roller his first big success. The popular chestnut gelding dominated Caulfield’s 1400m course for a time in the early 2000s, and he is a horse that McDonald remembers fondly. “I was 26 when Regal Roller came along. It was an incredible time in my life, but probably the wrong time. I needed another ten years of experience to truly appreciate it. We had an amazing journey, running fourth or fifth in the Cox Plate. Looking back, I was probably too young to really appreciate what I had.” 

Since then, he and the stable have gone from strength-to-strength and had some incredible wins, including the 2024 Blue Diamond Stakes with Hayasugi. 

He relocated his stable to Cranbourne three years ago, a move he considers one of the best decisions of his career. “The horses eat better, there’s great airflow through the stable, and they’re just really relaxed,” he explains. “You can walk in at midday, and they’ll be lying down, sleeping.” 

With 33 horses in work, McDonald is pleased with his current crop. “We’ve got some really good ones. Angel Capital, a nice filly called Vestas, Jasmine Rouge, Ahha Ahha, and a nice horse called Board Rider. We’ve sold a number to Hong Kong, so that’s left a little bit of a hole in the stable, but we’ve got some beautiful two-year-olds coming through, and I can only see a bright future ahead.” 

Angel Capital is a colt McDonald believes has all the makings of a top-class racehorse. “We were lucky enough to get him through Gregory Ho and Upper Bloodstock, and he’s always shown enormous ability,” he says. “We felt he was a Group 1 horse from the beginning, and now he’s matured into the horse we always thought he’d be.” 

Angel Capital stands out both in appearance and attitude. “He’s a big, imposing bugger with plenty of aura about him,” McDonald says. “He’s got the looks, the attitude, and the ability to match.” 

With the Group 1 Australian Guineas on the horizon, McDonald is confident his stable star is primed for a big performance. “We’re really confident we’ve got the right product,” he says. “He’s in the best shape he’s ever been, and I just hope everyone sees what we see at home.” 

A Guineas victory would be particularly meaningful for McDonald, as it was one of the few major races his father never won. “It’s one of the big ones he didn’t get,” he reflects. “And to train the winner for Yulong would mean a lot.” 

Winning the race would also hold deep personal significance following the recent passing of McDonald’s mother, Margaret, at age 76. Born into one of Australia’s great racing families, Margaret was the daughter of Bon and granddaughter of Fred Hoysted. She supported her husband’s training career, and was there for McDonald’s own rise. 

With a stable full of promising talent and Angel Capital leading the charge, McDonald is proving that the family’s legacy of training champions is in excellent hands.