At that time Savill was working as a graphic artist and Macdonald was starting in business as a racehorse owner, with a chestnut gelding Gladiator (late Red Deer), which won the Lockleys Cup in August 1874.
At what may have been his first professional race at Simeon Barnard's Newmarket meeting at Morphettville in August 1879, his bay colt Pawnbroker came second in the Handicap Flutter and won the South Australian Derby in 1879.
Savill won the South Australian Derby with Pawnbroker in 1879 and the Adelaide Racing Club's first two City Handicaps with Miss Harriet in 1879 and Footstep in 1880.
The large sum of money Savill had put on the mare (and in a panic had tried in vain to hedge) made him wealthy enough to return to England and live in grand style.
Macdonald had sole management of Tom Barnfield's First Water, a horse previously owned by William Pile.
St. Albans stud and racing stables in Breakwater, near Geelong was founded in 1872 by trainer James Wilson, and the homestead was completed the following year.
In 1886 St Albans was purchased by John Crozier, Jr., who sold it to mining magnate W. R. Wilson four years later for a reputed £75,000.
[5] At a separate sale[6] Macdonald purchased Revenue for 725 guineas, and backed him heavily for the 1901 Melbourne Cup, despite his starting at 7 to 4, the hottest favorite in the history of the race up to that time.
He purchased at the sale ring a handful of horses from Wilson's estate with an eye to their racing potential rather than for breeding.
He did not fare so well in the 1902 Australian Cup though, being crippled in the race, for which Macdonald blamed foul riding by Walter Burn, rider of Flintlock.
Balgowan made little impact, but Blairgour won both the Oakleigh Plate and Caulfield Futurity Stakes for him in 1911, and sold for a good price, but became a windsucker and had to be put out to pasture.
During his last year or two he was invariably in the company of Guy Raymond, one of the owners of St. Albans, so his connection with that stable remained unsevered to the end.