James McDonald cut short a difficult introduction to summer conditions, with the heat and humidity forcing the young rider to stand down from the last three of his seven scheduled mounts. It was the first day of a five-meeting stint until the season's end for McDonald, who had flown in overnight following a treble at Ruakaka in New Zealand, where racing was conducted in winter temperatures around half of what they were at Sha Tin yesterday. The young Kiwi star pushed around Linked Win, Namjong Blossoms, Seize The Day and Delish before putting up the long white flag. Stewards reported McDonald will be required to provide a medical clearance for Wednesday night at Happy Valley.