“Welcome to the world Evie Belle McDonald”.
This was the simple sentence, accompanied with a photo, champion jockey James McDonald posted on social media on Monday to announce he and his fiancee, Katelyn, had become proud parents to a beautiful baby girl.
Little Evie was born late on Sunday night in a Sydney hospital and McDonald said both mother and daughter “haven’t missed a beat”.
“It was an incredible experience,’’ McDonald said.
“I’m so proud of Katelyn and in awe of our beautiful baby. I have been so busy over the last few weeks with the spring carnival but now reality sets in.
“Katelyn and Evie will spend the next few days in hospital but they are doing great. I can’t wait until they come home.’’
Like he does on the racetrack, McDonald has the timing just right with Katelyn giving birth just a day after the spring carnival ended with Champions Day at Flemington last Saturday.
McDonald has had a sensational spring both in Sydney and Melbourne, riding eight Group 1 winners including the Cox Plate on Anamoe, plus another 18 stakes races wins.
His mounts have earned nearly $20m in prizemoney - and the season is not even fourth months old!
In fact, it has been some year for the jockey as he also claimed his fourth successive Sydney jockeys premiership and rode another six Group 1 winners in the first half of the year including a famous international triumph on Nature Strip in the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.
But McDonald’s greatest moments might have come off the racetrack with his engagement to Katelyn earlier this year and then the birth of the couple’s first child, little Evie, on Sunday night.
McDonald is appealing on Tuesday the careless riding suspension he incurred following his winning ride on Roots in the Inglis Bracelet at Flemington on Oaks Day.
If McDonald is successful in having the severity of the penalty reduced, he’s hoping to ride at Newcastle’s The Hunter meeting on Saturday.
Originally published as Baby joy! J-Mac and Katie become parents for first time
