James McDonald made the most of a late pick-up ride on Hawker Hall when he let the gelding rip from a wide barrier to run his rivals ragged in the $250,000 Magic Millions Class 6 Plate (1200m) at the Gold Coast on Saturday.
With Jason Collett stood down after a fall earlier in the day, McDonald was called upon as the super sub by trainer Kris Lees.
After conversations with both Collett and Lees, McDonald said his pre-race plan was a simple case of letting a fast horse be fast.
The son of Russian Revolution stole a race-winning lead at the top of the straight and, on the winning post, had two lengths to spare over runner-up Roselyn's Star.
“I learned that from Nature Strip and I rode him (Hawker Hall) like that,” McDonald said.
“I obviously picked up the ride through Jason (Collett) unfortunately being injured.
“He (Collett) gave me good advice about letting him flow and letting him gallop.
“Kris Lees is a champion, he’s a great bloke and it’s good to ride a winner for him.”
Bought by bloodstock agents Andy Williams and Bevan Smith for $150,000 from The Chase’s draft at 2023 Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Hawker Hall is building a formidable record in Lees’ care.
Saturday’s victory advanced his record to five wins from 11 starts, with almost $400,000 banked for his connections.
The Chase sold a half-brother by Extreme Choice to Hawker Hall earlier this week with the colt from I Am Invincible mare Penang fetching $700,000 when bought by China Horse Club/Newgate Bloodstock.
Lees, who bought seven yearlings for a combined $1.2 million during Book 1 of the 2026 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, said the four-year-old is still a work in progress but believes he’s capable of improving further.
“It was a good controlled, front-running ride,” Lees said.
“He’s that type of horse, when he can rail around like that, he put a good gap on them at the top of the straight and he was going to be very hard to run down.
“He’s still got a lot to learn and you can imagine that he’s an aggressive horse at home.
“He’s a bit of a handful but we’re winning the battle.”
