While most of his success has been built around the Team Hawkes and John O'Shea stables this season, the Kiwi whiz-kid can creep closer to his first Sydney premiership with the help of Kylie Gavenlock.

The Gosford trainer is more accustomed to pre-training for the bigger stables rather than toppling them on the racetrack, but has the slightly-built Swayzee ready to do just that in the first race, for two-year-olds.

McDonald is good friends with one of Swayzee's owners and jumps aboard the Magic Albert filly when he has his first ride after a suspension.

He needs only three wins from the final five metropolitan meetings of the season to surpass the 70 wins of Nash Rawiller, who is in Japan on a short-term riding contract.

''He [McDonald] can make his own luck, can't he? It would be nice if we got a shower of rain which would probably help her a bit,'' Gavenlock said. ''James is good friends with one of the owners and couldn't ride her last start because of suspension, but was keen to get back on.''

Gavenlock has just the eight horses in work, but has already had success with another juvenile this season in stakes-placed Uratta Belle.

The home-bred Swayzee has shown similar promise with a maiden win at Newcastle in February before running into Shooting To Win and Delectation in a couple of city starts this campaign.

''I've had a lot of luck with the whole family way back to Mastery,'' Gavenlock said. ''At this stage I'll just take her through her grades and as there's not a lot of her we'll take it easy for her.

''It's a bit of a shame we drew barrier 10 and we've got topweight which is 58 kilos for a filly that's not very big. And when you draw that barrier it doesn't help us at all so we'll need a bit of luck.

''I do a lot more pre-training for the bigger trainers, but unfortunately they're too hard to get now so you've got to make ends meet how you can.''

Meanwhile, a day after the first European-trained winner of the Melbourne Cup, Vintage Crop, died, one of the recent imports to have conquered Australia's greatest race, Dunaden, has been retired.

The French-trained gelding followed in Americain's footsteps to win the 2011 Melbourne Cup - and then returned to pinch the Caulfield Cup the following year.

He finished his 46-start career with more than $8 million in prizemoney. His last start was a midfield finish behind Japanese mare Gentildonna in the group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan in March.