James McDonald has once again shown why he is widely regarded as the best jockey on the planet with a daring ride to win the Red Roses Stakes (1100m) on Thursday. Wearing the Chris Waller silks made famous by champion Winx, McDonald steered Amelita through a narrow gap to burst away and claim the Group 3 race.

Starting at $11, Amelita won by three-quarters-of-a-length over Vestas, with Bridal Waltz in third. But horse racing fans believe if any other jockey was aboard the Waller three-year-old it wouldn’t have won and likely wouldn’t have even finished in the placings.

McDonald identified pre-race that the outside part of the track was the right place to be so despite drawing barrier one, the spot closest to the inside, straight away McDonald eased the filly out of the gates and drifted back to the rear of the field so he could get the horse in a rhythm out wide.

After settling back in last McDonald slowly eased the horse closer to the middle of the track to look for a run at the 300m mark. McDonald had the heavily favoured horse Vestas, ridden by Jamie Kah’s jockey fiancee Ben Melham, on his inside as a run started to present itself between two runners.

Melham hesitated to take the gap for a split second and McDonald pounced, steering the filly through the tight gap. The three-year-old then burst through in the Winx silks and roared away to win the race. Meanwhile, Melham had to check off heels back to last and pull to the far rail to find some clear air. Vestas stormed home widest of all to take second on the line and it led many to believe if the jockey had been just a little more decisive his mount would have won with its ears pricked.

Chris Waller stunned by incredible James McDonald ride

Having jumped from barrier one, Waller said McDonald told him pre-race he would make tracks towards the outside as he believed it was the best place to be and he proved to be right. “He (McDonald) made a beeline straight for it after the jump to get himself set out wider, then had to aim towards a few gaps,” Waller said after the filly scored her second win from five starts.

“We drew barrier one on the furthest part of the track and James said to me pre-race, ‘I think it is better out wider and I’m going to try and come across’. He did exactly what he said and found his way through. He had the horse under him to take those gaps. There was a bit of buffering with 100 (metres) to go and she was too strong.”

McDonald said he was confident pre-race that the filly could win after promising recent trials, downplaying his major role in the horse’s success on Thursday. “She trialled in those jumpouts with the Coolmore horses and she went terrific,” he said. “The writing was on the wall.”

Ben Melham controversially booked to ride Pride of Jenni

Melham’s ride on Vestas will do little to instil confidence in the owners of star mare Pride of Jenni who he is booked to ride on Saturday. Top jockey Declan Bates was dropped by Pride Of Jenni’s owner for their Champions Mile defence at Flemington on Saturday, with Melham called up to steer the mare earlier this week.

The seven-year-old finished eighth of nine runners in the 2040m Cox Plate late last month, finishing 16 lengths behind record-setting winner Via Sistina. And it resulted in the owners deciding to try a different jockey. Bates had ridden the mare to three Group 1 triumphs – including last year’s $3m Champions Mile and the $5m Queen Elizabeth Stakes earlier this year – but he will not get the chance to add to that list this weekend.

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Pride Of Jenni’s owner Tony Ottobre ultimately deemed a new approach was what was needed to unlock more wins. And after learning of the news he had been axed a short time after riding in the Melbourne Cup, Bates released a statement stating that riding Pride of Jenni had been the “greatest experience” of his riding career.

“It has been a huge privilege to ride Pride Of Jenni, one that has been the greatest experience of my riding career so far,” Bates said on Wednesday. “She certainly is a once-in-a-lifetime horse. I wish her and Tony all the best for Saturday. I look forward to continuing my relationship with the Ottobre family in the future.”