James McDonald will face a test of his judgment as he rides River Of Stars in the Tancred Stakes at Rosehill this weekend.

As one of six runners for trainer Chris Waller, River Of Stars is one of two Yulong-owned, European imports making their Australian debut.

Assistant trainer Charlie Duckworth revealed McDonald had the pick of the rides but chose River Of Stars after galloping her multiple times in quarantine and on Tuesday.

“J Mac went with his gut instinct,” Duckworth said. “He felt she got over the flight better than stablemate Zarir.”

Both River Of Stars and Zarir are Group 1-placed overseas.

Also in the race are stablemates Land Legend, Asterix, Zechariah, and Kinesiology, with Zechariah coming off a close third in the Randwick City Stakes (2000m).

Duckworth is confident in Zechariah’s chances and believes the race’s conditions will suit his horses’ staying ability.

All six Waller runners are also entered for the Sydney Cup (3200m) next month.