“He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother”.

Over the next week James McDonald is a jockey in demand.

If COVID had not brought Australia to its knees, this former Kiwi would have choice of nearly all the plum rides in Melbourne and Sydney.  He’s revered by all in the Australian racing system and, since his arrival in Australia, has overcome some difficult obstacles but has emerged the premier rider in this nation.

However, little is known of is his younger brother Luke who watched in awe as his big brother left for the races with his saddle and riding gear at the tender age of 15.

“He had it all.  We were both taught to ride at a very young age and I still ride sometimes now but James was always a talent.  Like great sportsmen, he got better and better and yes, I am proud of him.”

However, the McDonald family incurred what so many families across the western world must endure and that was a separation of the boys’ parents.

“We were young teenagers when mum and dad split up.  It wasn’t a terrible impact on us and it worked out for the better,” Luke said.

The boys’ mother was an outstanding rider and their father an excellent horse trainer so racing was in their blood.

While at 29 James McDonald is the talk of world racing however, younger brother Luke has also made his impact after leaving university in Cambridge, New Zealand.  

After working in smaller firms, McDonald junior was wooed into the powerful Gerry Harvey empire and from the moment he set foot in the whitegoods chain of shops he was impressing his new master.

“It’s funny, James and I lived together when I first arrived in Australia and that was pretty successful as we were brothers after all.  But being with Gerry Harvey as his racing and breeding general manager things have just got better and better,” he said.

Gerry Harvey’s Baramul Stud mares fluctuate from around the 250 mark each year with fillies going to stud increasing those numbers.

“We foal down 180 – 200 each year, with the majority of the offspring selling in the Magic Million sales.”

James McDonald is just as proud of his younger brother for his exploits with the Harvey Empire.

“I don’t think Luke liked riding as much as I did so I went off on my career and Luke stayed on his education journey.  I know he kept riding work before school and university and trust me, he was a talented rider.

“We both lead pretty hectic lives.  I ride, it would seem, all year round.  There’s never a certain time where you stop and put your feet up because it’s such a competitive cycle – when you finish at one carnival, another one starts,” James McDonald said.

But there seems each day in the Harvey Norman head office a tug of war or an Indian arm wrestle as Harvey and Luke McDonald work out the future of racehorses and mares.

“He doesn’t like giving them away; he thinks sometimes the one you give away will be a group one winner but that’s our daily discussion and I love it.”

Not many would be aware of the impact that the Harvey enterprise has made in New Zealand.

“We stand six stallions and Gerry’s Westbury stud – Reliable Man, Tarzino, Swiss Ace, El Roca, Redwood and Telperion.

“Our mare numbers fluctuate around 320 and support all Westbury sires.  We also race up to 200 horses at any given time in New Zealand.

“We have a great operator in Russell Warwick who we communicate between operations on both sides of the Tasman.

“If we need to bring the higher quality racehorses to Australia, we discuss with the boss and make a plan,” Luke McDonald said.

But apart from the busy schedule that the two boys from Cambridge in New Zealand have, they still maintain daily contact from a five minute phone call to a cup of coffee.

“No matter how busy we both get, we are always there for each other.  Luke is only five minutes around the corner at Coogee in Sydney so we are there whenever either of us need each other for just even a chat about our lives.”

The McDonald boys in their own way have carved out astonishing careers in racing that nobody could have predicted for these once junior riders.