Hawkesbury based senior jockey Grant Buckley returned to Newcastle for the first time in more than eight months to steer home a treble at Saturday’s Newcastle Jockey Clubs race meeting. Buckley, who has ridden more than 2500 winners, only returned to race riding at Kembla on February 8 after an accident in the Wyong mounting yard on June 13 last year. Buckley only had four mounts on Saturday and his treble included La Bella Bondi ($7.50), Jayashree ($5.50) and Binkou ($9) the jockey was aboard Group 1 winning Kembla trainer Kerry Parker’s filly La Bella Bondi in the 1200 metre Webber Architects Midway Maiden Handicap. The 3-year-old had been placed in her previous three starts at Wyong, Nowra and Kembla. On Saturday she raced behind the two leaders before easing into the clear halfway down then straight and holding off the $2.15 favourite, She Swings to win by half a length.
Jayashree was narrowly beaten on the Newcastle track on February 1 and The Hawkes training partnership booked Buckley to change the horse’s luck in the 1600 metre Stronger Together For Spinal Super Maiden Handicap. Different tactics were adopted on the filly, and she went forward to sit outside the leader from soon after the start and the 3-year-old was in a four-way battle in the closing stages. She prevailed by a long head to match up her first win.
Binkou trained at Hawkesbury by Gary Frazer made it two wins on the trot when successful in the 1880 metre Calvary Mater Newcastle Provincial Benchmark 64 Handicap. Binkou strolled out of the barriers a clear last and he stayed at the tail of the field until Buckley set him alight 600 metres from home. The gelding made a searching run around the outside of the field all the way to the winning post. He won by less than a length.
Only two favourites were successful at the meeting, and both were late in the day. Randwick mare Our Uptown Girl was the shortest priced galloper all day backed into $1.65 in the 1600 metre Integrated Environmental Management Australia Class 1 Handicap. Andrew Adkins allowed her to settle at the tail of the field as she normally does and when the jockey made his run from the home turn it took her the length of the straight to put his nose in front.
The Paul Perry trained Zoe Shark a well backed $2.25 favourite was rewarded for consistence with an all the way win in the 900 metre Prosperity Advisers Group Australia Benchmark 64 Handicap. The speedy mare was runner up in her past three starts on the two Newcastle tracks. That was her second win with four placings from seven starts on the course proper. Promising Taree apprentice Shae Wilks rode the winner which had three quarters of a length to spare on the line.
Kembla mare Welcometobarbados won her fifth race from nine starts with an impressive win the final race event the 1250 metre Connectability Conditional Benchmark 68 Handicap. A clear last to leave the barriers the 4-year-old was more than 10 lengths from the leader at the 600-metre point where the jockey Jean Van Overmier revved her up and she unwound down the long straight. The winning margin was 1.1 lengths and Welcometobardos will run in a Provincial Championship Qualifier next month.