John Schell
Jockey Grant Buckley heads to Mudgee’s Easter Sunday meeting with a solid book of six rides and will be out to strike early when steering the odds-on favourite in the opening event of the day.
Buckley will combine with trainer Peter Green when partnering Coyote in the Wilf’s TV Service Mudgee Class 1 & Maiden Plate (2000m).
Coyote is well-placed in the event, having won its maiden over 1400m at Hawkesbury last November when Mitchell Bell was in the saddle.
Buckley then rode Coyote for a third placing at Newcastle before a spell and was aboard again when it resumed with another third at Newcastle. Coyote has had two starts since then for another Newcastle third placing and a close-up 10th in Midway company at Rosehill behind Barrengarry.
Buckley and Green team up in the final event of the day at Mudgee with Exothrill tackling the McGrath Real Estate Class 2 Handicap (1200m).
Exothrill is resuming from a spell and comes into the event on the back of a fifth in a Hawkesbury trial.
Warwick Farm trainer Matthew Smith will provide Buckley with a leading contender in the shape of Fierceness in the Friday Frenzie McGrath Central 24-04 2026 Maiden Handicap (1100m).
Fierceness had a couple of just behind the placings efforts at Canterbury, as well as a third placing at Kembla Grange. The gelding was spelled after a seventh at Nowra in September and Smith has given him two barrier trials in preparation for his return to the races.
Ciaron Maher will play a strong hand in the Run DIPG Super Maiden Handicap (1400m) and has booked Buckley to partner Mean As.
A failure on a soft track at Goulburn when last produced, Mean As wasn’t too far away in both starts before that since resuming from a spell.
The Peter Nestor prepared Blue Guitar is Buckley’s mount in the Oriental Hotel Country Boosted Benchmark 66 Handicap (1400m), while the jockey will combine with Narromine trainer Kylie Kennedy when riding Gidgee Guy in the Terry Hall Tree Services Benchmark 66 Handicap (1100m).
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Full form and race replays at racingnsw.com.au
