McDonald banned

JAMES McDonald has been released from his contract as Godolphin’s number one Australian-based jockey after he was banned 18 months for having breached betting regulations. McDonald pleaded guilty to having a bet of A$1,000 on Astern when the John O’Shea-trained colt made his debut at Randwick a year ago. The 24-year-old won $4,000. McDonald says he will appeal the severity of the sentence.