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By Ray Hickson

Champion jockey James McDonald admits he’s been taken aback by the development in Breeders’ Plate winner Empire Of Japan ahead of the youngster’s highly anticipated return at Randwick on Saturday.

James McDonald

The colt clashes with Gimcrack Stakes winning filly Platinum Jubilee and his Snowden Racing stablemate Godfather, an impressive debut winner in Brisbane, in the Drinkwise Plate (1100m), a $150,000 race that will have huge ramifications for 2023's big two-year-old features.

McDonald, speaking on Sky Sports Radio, said while it’s only been a couple of months since his runaway win in the Breeders’ Plate (1000m), on October 1, the colt feels like a different animal.

“He’s a beautiful colt and he’s really furnished into a lovely horse,’’ McDonald said.

“He’s got so much stronger since his debut in the Breeders’ Plate and he was there to make a statement that day.

“They had a high opinion of him but I couldn’t believe the physical improvement in this horse, he’s really come back a stronger, bigger, horse.

“He’s a big brute now. He had the frame there in the Breeders’ Plate, but he wasn’t the furnished product as everyone would expect being an early two-year-old.

“He’s one that's made significant improvement, he rides like a three-year-old and has matured so much. I think it’s done the world of good that little break and hopefully he can put the writing on the wall for the Magic Millions.”

Empire Of Japan is on the third line of betting at $15 for the 2023 $5m Longines Golden Slipper, run on March 18, and is the early Magic Millions favourite.

McDonald has put the son of Snitzel, who cost $680,000 as a yearling, through his paces in two trials in the past month, winning the latest on December 13, and carries high expectations into Saturday’s clash.

“He had an extremely big blow after the last trial, I expect him to improve immensely out of that,’’ he said.

“He was there to have a good hit out over the (1050m) so he’ll be nicely tuned up for Saturday and then hopefully onto the Magic Millions if he can perform.

“He’s the number one seed for sure. Especially with what he’s done, he looks pretty smart at this stage and is probably the benchmark to be fair.”

In a field of eight, Empire Of Japan ($2.30 with TAB on Wednesday) will jump from six and McDonald said he feels the horse is adaptable enough to be ridden as necessary to win the race.

In the Breeders’ Plate he rounded up the field from last early on after being squeezed out the back in the first 100m, running 35.29 for his last 600m (Punter's Intelligence), five lengths faster than anything else in the race, and overall 0.11 faster than the Gimcrack on a heavy track.

“He drew wide in the official trials and he copped a little bump in the Breeders’ Plate but he didn’t take any harm,’’ he said.

“He did a really good job. That’s a credit to him because he overcame a little hurdle there and came through it well.

Empire Of Japan wins a Randwick trial on December 13

“I don’t think he is ever going to be an on speed, jump and run, sort of style horse but he can definitely sit a lot closer than what he did in the Breeders’ Plate.”

Meanwhile, McDonald renews acquaintances with Democracy Manifest in the Schweppes Handicap (1600m) on Saturday as the in-form four-year-old attempts the mile for the first time.

Nash Rawiller rode the gelding to victory over 1400m at Randwick two weeks ago and McDonald said his chances will simply come down to how the race is run.

“He’s going really well, he’d been a bit stiff before he won the other day,’’ he said.

“When I rode him at Rosehill it was a leader biased track and he got back and rattled home. He’s tempo and track related because he does get off the pace.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Randwick meeting