McDonald to fly NZ flag in International Jockeys’ Championship
Hall of Fame jockey James McDonald will once again fly New Zealand’s flag in the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC), which will take place at Happy Valley Racecourse on Wednesday, December 9.
A three-time LONGINES World’s Best Jockey Award winner (2022, 2024, 2025), McDonald is currently second in the current standings behind Ryan Moore, having claimed 10 of the top 100 Group One races.
McDonald will pit his talent against some of the best riders in the world in the IJC, with the current top five in the LONGINES World’s Best Jockey standings – Ryan Moore, James McDonald, William Buick, Mickael Barzalona and Zac Purton – in this year’s competition. Adding further class to the roster are Saffie Osborne, Dylan Browne McMonagle, Rachel King, Christophe Lemaire and Joao Moreira.
The LONGINES IJC is the most prestigious jockey challenge in the world and the most lucrative for the winning rider. The four races in the competition are worth a combined NZ$1.7 million, with a total bonus prize fund of NZ$227,000 split between the top three jockeys.
The final two berths on the 12-rider roster for the LONGINES IJC will go to the leading homegrown rider and the highest-ranked eligible rider in the Hong Kong standings at the selection cut-off date, which follows the race meeting on November 25.
“The 2026 edition of the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship is shaping to be one of our best, featuring Ryan Moore, James McDonald, William Buick, Mickael Barzalona and our champion Zac Purton,” Hong Kong Jockey Club's Executive Director of Racing Andrew Harding said.
“To have the current top five in the LONGINES World’s Best Jockey rankings taking part in the IJC says everything necessary about the quality of this year’s competition.”
The four-race competition works on a points-based system, with 12 points for a win, six points for second place and four points for third. The ranking of each jockey will be determined by the total number of points earned over all four races and the LONGINES IJC champion will be the jockey with the highest accumulated points.
