McDonald seeks New Year's bride

James McDonald is seeking further holiday Group 1 glory in New Zealand when he teams up with Gold Coast visitor Winter Bride (Not A Single Doubt) for trainers Toby and Trent Edmonds in Wednesday's G1 Sistema Railway at Ellerslie.

McDonald rode the Aussie mare in trackwork on Boxing Day and is rapt at where she is at.

“She felt terrific,” McDonald said. “She worked over 800 metres and it was pretty slick work. And most of all, she pulled up really well.

“She was only four lengths off Nature Strip so her form is better than it looks,” he said. “If she is not in the first three in the Railway I’ll be very surprised and disappointed."

King stops in on Rosehill on way to Coast

With his position in the final field for the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas seemingly assured King Of Hastings (Ilovethiscity) tuned up for the Gold Coast with a trial win at Rosehill on Monday.

The Anthony Freedman-trained gelding is currently 15th in the Order Of Entry and skipped a possible shot at the G3 Standish H. at Flemington to head north, stopping in at Rosehill to win his 1030 metre trial by 0.3l.

Redouble (Redoute's Choice) finished third in the same trial as he heads to the Gold Coast to defend his Magic Millions Cup title.

Castles new Waikato CEO

Hawke’s Bay Racing CEO Andrew (Butch) Castles has been confirmed as the Waikato Racing Club's new Chief Executive.

"He has a truly outstanding background in the racing industry, bringing unparalleled experience and knowledge to his new role at the Club," WRC chairman Karen Fenton-Ellis said.

"In an environment of great change for the industry, as one of the country's largest Clubs, the WRC is set to play a pivotal part in the future landscape of racing. It was imperative to the Board that our new CEO brought the ability, the track record and the expertise to lead Te Rapa into the future. Andrew's credentials speak for themselves."

Castles’ background includes 11 years as Director of Racing for the Auckland Racing Club, four years as Secretary/Manager of the Otaki-Maori Racing Club and latterly, over four years as CEO for Hawke’s Bay Racing.

Castles will join the WRC in March 2020, with current CEO Ken Rutherford to join Hawkesbury in Australia.

Watson kicks off Aussie stint

Champion English apprentice Jason Watson will begin his Australian stint at Mornington on Wednesday with two rides for Danny O'Brien.

Hoping to follow the trail blazed by the likes of Oisin Murphy and Kieran Shoemark, Watson has linked up with Melbourne Cup winning trainer O'Brien for a short stint.

"I'd spoken with my agent at home about where I might ride at the end of the year and Australia appealed as a good option, it seemed like the right thing to do," Watson told Racing.com.

"The riders here seem to ride much tighter than at home, I'm looking forward to getting out there and testing myself against the locals. I'm hoping this trip can sharpen me up and make me a better rider.”

Watson has amassed 217 winners in his short career, with 37 coming for his current boss Roger Charlton.

Standout progressing towards autumn return

Talented 3-year-old Standout (Exceed And Excel) is on track for a return in either the G2 Expressway S. or the G3 Eskimo Prince S. in early February,

Trainer Gerald Ryan told Racenet he is happy with how Standout, a winner of three of his four starts, including the Listed Heritage S. has come to hand after a hitout over the weekend.

“He worked very well,” Ryan said. “He’s quite a laid back horse and it can be hard to get a line on him but he impressed me. He went four (furlongs), improved three (furlongs), run home two (furlongs) and he looked really good doing it.

“He’s not carrying huge weight and looks good.”

Nikolic seeking Queensland return

Former jockey Danny Nikolic has applied for a riding licence in Queensland, lodging an application to the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission earlier this month.

Nikolic, a rider of 35 Group 1 winners who has been banned since September 2012, is seeking a conditional licence for a 12-month probation period with the potential to relocate to Brisbane.

The Queensland Racing Integrity Commission is expected to rule on Nikolic’s application in early January. Nikolic’s previous application to Racing Queensland was rejected in September 2015.