It’s not hard to imagine the reaction in homes, pubs and clubs when Grant Buckley coaxed La Bella Bondi to a narrow win in Saturday’s 1200m maiden at Newcastle. It was the popular jockey’s seventh ride back after an eight month hiatus following a shock mounting yard accident at Wyong last year. Despite a near record number of rides over the last twenty five years, this was easily the longest layoff of “Bucko’s” career.
La Bella Bondi is trained by Kerry Parker who’s been a longtime Buckley supporter especially at the regular Kembla Saturday meetings. Sky commentator Phil Roberts couldn’t hide his delight as Grant made it a double on Jayashree in the very next race, the1600m Super maiden. This three year old filly is trained by Team Hawkes who’ve also utilised Grant’s services many times in recent years at the Kembla and Newcastle Saturday fixtures.
The jockey was unplaced on the long priced Mosamour for the Waller camp in the following race before riding Binkou for Hawkesbury trainer Gary Frazer in the 1880m BM64. “Gary and I go right back to my earliest days as an apprentice,” said Grant. “He’s continued to support me ever since and I was thrilled to have a ride for him so early in my comeback. Binkou is a one paced horse and the plan was to go back early before launching at the 600m. I was pushed pretty wide on the turn but once you’re off and going on this horse you’ve got to keep rolling. He built up momentum out in the middle of the track and was just getting warmed up on the line. It was probably the sweetest treble of my long career.”
Binkou came from the tail of the field to complete Grant's treble at Newcastle - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Grant continues to ponder the freakish mounting yard incident at Wyong that left him with a shattered pelvis in June of last year. “I was legged onto a horse as I have been a million times over thirty five years when all hell broke loose,” said the jockey. “I was popping my feet into the irons when the horse in question suddenly reared and flipped completely over on top of me. I heard the bone crack and knew instantly this was no ordinary accident. My pelvis was fractured front and back. The specialist was adamant that had the impact been higher up it would have caused enormous spinal issues. The pelvis copped the brunt of the horse’s weight and saved me from a much worse fate.
“It’s been a hell of a rehabilitation. I spent the first two weeks in hospital followed by another six in a wheelchair loaned to me by my great friend Tye Angland. I would never have made it through the first few months without the devoted support and nursing skills of my wife Chantelle. She juggled her Sky Thoroughbred Central commitments with nursing duties for such a long time, not to mention her attention to the needs of our four year old son Jett. I also had constant encouragement from Chantelle’s parents Bruce and Sharon, and from my mum and dad Clarrie and Terri.
I can tell you I watched a million races on the Sky coverage and dreamed of being back out there in the thick of it.”
Predictably Grant was besieged by well wishers on course at Newcastle, and he was still fielding phone calls and text messages until fairly late on Saturday night. The most heartfelt reaction came from his father Clarrie who lives a short distance from Grant’s Hawkesbury Valley home. “I actually drove straight past Dad’s house on the way home, and here he was watering the front garden,” said Grant. “He turned the hose off and ran over to me as excited as I’ve ever seen him. He nearly shook my hand off before giving me a big hug. As a former jockey who’d overcome several nasty injuries himself, he knew exactly what that Newcastle treble meant to me.”
Grant was fairly flying at the time of his accident last year. Here he is making it a treble for the day on Divine Vicky at Kembla a couple of months earlier - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Like his son, Clarrie Buckley also enjoyed the luxury of riding at a light weight throughout his successful career. The 80 year old enjoyed his best years during a lengthy South Australian stint in the 1960’s. His most notable achievement was to win the 1964 SA Derby and Oaks double on Ziema and Bluepak respectively. Clarrie also won a race on the brilliant but quirky sprinter Manihi, regarded by jockeys at the time as a very difficult horse to ride. Manihi went on to win the 1967 Newmarket but is perhaps best remembered as the sire of the great horse Manikato, winner of twenty races in the late 70’s and early 80’s.
The unforgettable occasion of young Grant Buckley’s first winning ride came on his hometrack at Hawkesbury in 1990. It was a restricted race over 2300m, a distance at which few apprentices are entrusted with rides early in their careers. “Gary White was the trainer to give me the opportunity on a horse called Mission Impossible,” recalled Grant. “My dad was coming to the end of his career but actually rode in that race as did Rodney Quinn. Rod Hardwicke also had a mount in the race and gave me a lot of help. He talked to me all the way and I just followed his directions. You could say Mission Impossible had two riders that day. It was a hell of a thrill.”
Grant’s friendly disposition, natural talent and the ability to ride light ensured him of regular rides in the early years but the powerful Sydney riding ranks made it hard for the young rider to gain a strong foothold. In the late 90’s he formed an association with the very genuine galloper Pasta Express whose trainer Paul Cave frequently put rides the way of the young Hawkesbury based jockey. Grant won seven races on the son of Rigoletto including a Kembla Cup and Rosehill Xmas Cup and was second in both an AJC Summer Cup and STC Canterbury Cup.
One of Grant's rare Saturday metropolitan rides - a win on From The Bush for Gayna Williams in a Randwick TAB Hwy in 2021 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Cave also entrusted Buckley with five rides on his promising staying mare Lahar. By an amazing coincidence Grant won a Kembla Cup and a Xmas Cup on Lahar, a double he was destined to repeat a year later on Pasta Express. It’s well documented that Lahar would later dead heat for third in the Melbourne Cup won by Rogan Josh with Corey Brown on board.
Grant retains bragging rights to the fact that he had a fleeting association with the brilliant sprinting mare Private Steer more than twenty years ago. Jeff Penza had ridden the daughter of Danehill Dancer to an effortless Kembla maiden win, but Grant was the jockey when she stepped up to listed class in the Reginald Allen Hcp at Randwick. She cruised home by four lengths and was immediately aimed at the Gr 1 Flight Stakes, a huge essay at just her third race start. Private Steer, unsuited by a very slow pace was doing her best work late to finish third to Royal Purler and the odds-on favourite Victory Vein. Her trainer Lee Curtis opted for the spelling paddock.
Grant was back on board for an easy first up win in 3YO fillies class at Randwick and then it was off to the Gold Coast for the Magic Millions Trophy. She raced well below her best in the feature and finished well back in an event won by Biaggio. Lee Curtis was devastated a short time later when Private Steer was transferred to Randwick trainer John O’Shea, at which point Grant’s association with the exciting filly also ended. It’s now history that the bay mare would go on to win another nine races including a Stradbroke, a Doncaster and an All Aged Stakes ridden almost exclusively by Glen Boss, although Larry Cassidy was on board when she won the 2004 Apollo Stakes.
Grant had a fleeting association with the brilliant Private Steer. Here he is winning the listed Reginald Allen Handicap at Randwick on the rising star in 2002 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Towards the end of the 2017/2018 season “Bucko” would make a decision destined to change the course of his life, and that was to concentrate exclusively on the provincial and country circuits. The talented Jeff Penza made a similar decision around the same time. The Sydney based duo quickly gained reputations for reliability and work ethic. Between them Buckley and Penza would literally dominate provincial and near city meetings for many years.
Here’s one small sample from Buckley’s statistical record. From the start of the 1999/2000 season to the finish of the 2018/2019 year Grant had 21,750 NSW rides for 1856 wins plus 10 dead heats. From 01/08/2019 until Saturday’s Newcastle meeting you can add another 473 winners. The mileage undertaken to fulfil those commitments is mind boggling. He’s topped the century on eight occasions. His busiest season was in 1999/2000 when he recorded a staggering 1286 rides, his “quietest” in 2007/2008 when he rode in 831 races on NSW tracks.
Another of Grant's rare trips to town. Here he is with Ron Quinton after a win on Boss Lane at Canterbury 26/06/2013 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Many believe the 51 year old might be inclined to reduce even slightly his number of race meetings going forward. You’d think a long drive to Newcastle on Saturday would have appeased his appetite for hard work but not so. Accompanied by Chantelle and young Jett the indefatigable Buckley was on the road to Dubbo early on Sunday morning for a light book of two rides. Both finished unplaced and then he had to face up to a four hour return journey. The week was only just beginning. His manager had booked him for three rides at Scone on Monday and another three at Newcastle on Tuesday. The mileage involved was horrendous. Frustratingly all six horses finished out of a place, but “Bucko” as always resigned himself to the fact that there isn’t a jockey in the world who wins every time they go to the races.
Unwavering reliability has been Grant Buckley’s trademark from the day he committed to provincial and country racing. When trainers pay up for Grant Buckley 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 be there to honour his pledge. That kind of work ethic was instilled in him by his father Clarrie who, after quitting the saddle in the early 90’s established a landscaping business in the Hawkesbury Valley. Buckley Snr worked long hours for many years to keep that business buoyant, and often took young Grant along on weekends and during school holidays. Now in his 80th year Clarrie has drastically reduced his workload but chooses to remain active. “He’s only mowing half the lawns in Richmond these days,” says Grant.
“Bucko” looks nothing like his 51 years. His weight is as stable as it’s ever been. The same applies to his legendary work ethic. It’s almost bizarre to think that he doesn’t mind the endless hours on the road. There’s a long list of provincial and country trainers who are delighted to have him on their horses. The man himself loves what he does and pays only lip service to the prospect of retirement. Many more race meetings will go by before Grant Buckley even remotely considers taking over his old man’s lawn mowing business at the foot of the Blue Mountains.
(Banner image - Grant's all important first win on the comeback trail. La Bella Bondi provided the first leg of the jockey's Newcastle treble - courtesy Bradley Photographers.)