Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
“He is definitely better now than he has ever been,” said Stuart McDonald after driving Jumpingjackmac to an easy win in the $31,000 Westral Shadetrack Outdoor Blinds Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“And I’m looking forward to him racing in the WA Pacing Cup later this year.”
Indeed, Jumpingjackmac, trained by Gary Hall Snr, is sure to be a leading candidate for the Cup after finishing second to Diego and Magnificent Storm in the past two Pacing Cups.
Jumpingjackmac, a six-year-old Mach Three gelding, was the $1.20 favourite on Friday night when he burst straight to the front from the No. 6 barrier, set a solid pace and sprinted over the final quarters in 28.3sec. and 27.5sec. to beat While They Pray ($11) by two lengths, rating 1.55.5.
“I thought that setting the pace would be the easiest way to win,” said McDonald. “I didn’t pull the plugs; he was jogging and could have run another lap. There are not many horses in WA going better than Jumpingjackmac.”
McDonald has enjoyed a successful association with Jumpingjackmac. He was in the sulky when the gelding made his Australian debut, winning an event for two-year-olds at Pinjarra on November 16, 2020. He now has driven Jumpingjackmac 28 times for six wins.
Jumpingjackmac has amassed $886,592 from 20 wins and 21 placings from 64 starts.