Grant Buckley’s decision in the late 1990’s to concentrate exclusively on the provincial and country circuit has proven to be a runaway winner for the indefatigable jockey. His reasoning was simple. Surely it’s better to have multiple rides at Newcastle or Kembla than to turn up at Randwick or Rosehill for one or two mounts at long odds. “I knew it would take a while to establish a clientele, and I was a little concerned about the mileage I’d have to travel to make it all work,” Grant recalled. “Funny thing when you ride a winner or two, the trip home doesn’t seem as long.”
The statistics posted by Buckley in the last twenty one years are testimony to his dedication and professionalism. With reasonable confidence in the accuracy of the following statistics, we’ve calculated the figures achieved by the Hawkesbury Valley based jockey on the NSW premiership ladder from the commencement of the 1999/2000 racing season to last Sunday’s Hawkesbury meeting.
In that time frame Grant Buckley has racked up an astonishing total of 23,475 race rides. He’s ridden 2058 outright winners plus 10 dead heats. He’s ridden 2285 outright second placegetters with 10 dead heats thrown in, while his third placings total 2451 and 11 dead heats. Grant has topped the century six times and needs only two wins before July 31st to reach that important milestone again. “I’m grateful for the phenomenal run I’ve had for such a long time,” said Grant. “The odd city winner along the way doesn’t do the morale any harm either.”
Courtesy of the recently established jockey’s Covid zones, one of those rare city winners popped up on Saturday. Under the current system Grant is unable to go further north than Wyong or further south than Kembla Grange. In fact he joined a strong team of Sydney jockeys at the Kembla meeting on July 8th, where he was able to win a race on Coolotta for local trainer Graeme Murray.
Not surprisingly Bathurst trainer Gayna Williams chased his services for the improving gelding From The Bush in Saturday’s TAB Highway at headquarters. Grant has ridden a host of winners for the talented Williams over a number of years and had actually ridden From The Bush on five previous occasions for two wins and three placings. He was well aware of the gelding’s characteristics.
“He’s a big lump of a horse who’s still getting it all together,” said Grant. “He loves to roll along and reacts badly if you try to snag him back. I would have preferred to race outside a leader on Saturday but nobody wanted to lead. I just let him stride along and he felt very comfortable coming around the turn. All of his four wins have been on soft or heavy tracks which tells you something. He’s such a big heavy horse he may well feel his joints on a hard track.”
This was Grant's third win on From The Bush - Saturday's TAB Highway at Randwick - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
In view of Grant’s loyalty to provincial and country clients, it takes a pretty handy horse to lure him to a Saturday metropolitan meeting. Only a few months ago he gave up several rides at a Gosford Saturday fixture when Will Freedman invited him to partner Birdonawinningpost in a TAB Highway at Randwick. Grant’s instincts were proven correct when the mare was backed into favouritism and won handily.
There was another instance when the jockey would have walked over hot coals to ride a certain mare in the metropolitan area. Grant had four rides on the brilliant Private Steer early in the 2002/2003 season for Rosehill trainer Lee Curtis. He won the Listed Reginald Allen on the daughter of Danehill Dancer by a widening four lengths and was in the saddle when she finished third in the Gr 1 Flight Stakes to Royal Purler and Victory Vein.
Grant won two races on the brilliant mare Private Steer including the listed Reginald Allen by 4 lengths. He later lost the ride when the mare switched stables - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Following a “freshen” Private Steer emphatically won a Randwick 3YO event with Grant on board before heading to the Gold Coast for the 3YO Magic Millions. “She raced below her best in the Millions to finish well back and that was the last I saw of her,” said the jockey. “She was transferred to the John O’Shea stable and from that point on, all I could do was wonder what might have been. Greg Childs and Darren Beadman each won a race on her, but Glen Boss subsequently locked in the ride for three Gr 1 wins. She was one special mare.”
Grant has always credited Paul Cave with being one of the first city trainers to offer support at a time when he was struggling to make a name for himself in a brutally competitive Sydney jockey’s school. “I had five rides on the lovely grey mare Lahar for wins in the Kembla Grange Cup and the Rosehill Xmas Cup,” said Grant. “She was the horse I needed at that stage. Later Corey Brown became her regular rider and was placed in a Sydney Cup, Doomben Cup and dead heated for third in a Melbourne Cup.
Grant rode Paul Cave’s great money spinner Pasta Express in half of his forty race starts, winning a total of seven races on the hardy gelding. Those seven wins comprised a sequence of four straight at one stage, and a later hat trick. Amazingly he notched a Kembla Cup - Xmas Cup double on Pasta Express as he had done on Lahar a year earlier. Grant was also placed on the son of Rigoletto in two Canterbury Cups, a Summer Cup and a Manion Cup. Pasta Express remains one of his all time favourites.
Unwavering reliability has been Grant Buckley’s trademark throughout a career spanning just over three decades. When trainers pay up for Grant to ride their horses as far north as Port Macquarie, as far south as Moruya or as far west as Dubbo, they can be sure he’ll turn up. That kind of work ethic was instilled in him by his father Clarrie, a former successful jockey who’s still going strong at 76 and is still the rock in Grant’s life.
You never know where Grant Buckley is likely to turn up! Here he is winning on Charvet for Paul Messara at Gunnedah 30/05/2021 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
When young Buckley notched his very first win on Impossible Mission at Hawkesbury in 1990, Clarrie actually rode in the race. “Rodney Quinn and Rod Hardwicke were also in that race,” said Grant. “Like Dad they never stopped trying to help me, and it was wonderful to have those three special people around me in a 2300m race on my home track.”
Grant and his wife Chantelle are the proud parents of nine months old Jett who’s keeping them on their toes. It’s been a long time between drinks for “Bucko” in the parenting department but he says previous experience has stood him in good stead. “My twenty one year old daughter Amber and eighteen year old son Adam are enjoying the new baby, and we’ve developed a good team,” he says. “Amber is an absolute star in the babysitting department.”
Another Gr 1 baby sitter is Chantelle’s mother Sharon Johnson who is intensely dedicated to her weekly roster. Grant’s father-in-law former jockey and trainer Bruce Johnson has no horses in work currently, but retains his licence and may well pop up with a runner or two in the future.
From the family album! Grant with wife Chantelle and father-in-law Bruce Johnson after Callmetrouble's win at Scone 2016 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Following a short absence during Jett’s first few demanding months, Chantelle has resumed duties as part of the Sky Racing team and was on air from the mounting yard at Newcastle last Saturday and again from Hawkesbury on Sunday. Like most new babies, Jett has forced a restructure of the family routine.
As mentioned earlier Grant Buckley rode his first winner thirty years ago. You don’t need a degree in rocket science to work out that he’s in his mid forties. I felt it reasonable to probe his likely time frame as a professional jockey. His answer was to the point. “No thoughts of retirement in my mind mate,” he replied. “I’m fit and well, I have no weight problems and I’m still enjoying it.”
Fair enough Grant. Case closed!
Grant won a couple of early races on Colette including this one at Kembla 21/03/2020 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
(Banner image - From The Bush revels in the heavy ground to win the TAB Highway - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)