Indonesia
English
Follow
SARGA.CO – The world of horse racing has once again made history. James McDonald, the New Zealand-born jockey now based in Australia, has officially been crowned the Longines World’s Best Jockey 2025. Not only that — this achievement marks his back-to-back victory and his third career win, after previously claiming the prestigious title in 2022 and 2024.
The award will be formally presented in Hong Kong at the end of this month, adding to the growing list of accolades for a jockey who is clearly entering the golden era of his career.
Dominance Throughout 2025: James McDonald Was Untouchable
The Longines World’s Best Jockey Award is given by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) and Longines to the jockey with the best performance in the world’s most prestigious Group 1 and Grade 1 races.
From 1 December 2024 to 30 November 2025, McDonald delivered an extraordinary performance. He recorded 12 wins from 100 of the highest-class races worldwide and led the standings from the start of the year without ever being overtaken, amassing 184 points, far ahead of his competitors.
The next positions were claimed by Mickael Barzalona with 132 points and William Buick with 114 points. With these achievements, McDonald solidifies his status as one of the greatest jockeys of his generation.
His success is supported by a string of spectacular victories in the world’s top races. Among them:
His consistency and sharpness have led many analysts to describe McDonald as a “jockey with unmatched instincts and stability.”
A Strict Scoring System
To earn this title, a jockey must accumulate points from the 100 best races in the world.
The scoring method is:
This system makes the Longines World’s Best Jockey award the most prestigious and objective benchmark for determining the world’s top jockey each year.
The award has existed since 2014, and before McDonald’s era, legendary names like Frankie Dettori and Ryan Moore dominated the list, each with four titles.
With his third title, James McDonald stands even stronger as a global icon in modern horse racing. His back-to-back dominance at the top of the world rankings proves he is not just a talented jockey but an athlete capable of maintaining elite performance at the highest level.
(Source: ifhaonline.org, rnz.co.nz)
Install SARGA.CO News
sarga.co
Rekomendasi