Buchanan off to blazing start at Hastings meet

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Jockey Marklee Buchanan made a strong impression in his first weekend of riding at Hastings. He won with four of his nine mounts, and none of his wins came aboard a favorite. The shortest-priced horse he won with was Lornefivehundred, who paid $7.50 for his win over Bearrock N Roll in a $16,000 claiming race last Saturday.

Buchanan is originally from Jamaica and has been riding in Ontario since 2011.

“I started at Woodbine, but it was pretty tough there,” said Buchanan. “I moved to Fort Erie, and that’s been my main track for the past few years.”

Last year, Buchanan finished fourth in the jockeys’ standings at Fort Erie with 26 wins from 127 mounts.

He had never ridden on a bullring before coming to Hastings.

“I was worried about how I would handle the turns,” he said. “It helped that I had been galloping and working horses here for seven weeks before I rode my first race.”

He’s looking forward to riding Susan’s Day in the $50,000 Ross McLeod on Sunday for trainer Dave Forster.

“I’ve been impressed with how she’s worked for me,” Buchanan said.

“He seems to have soft hands, and I wanted someone who wouldn’t fight with her,” said Forster. “I’ve been impressed with how Mark handles a horse, and he certainly gets along with my filly.”

Everyone who has watched Buchanan ride the first two days has also been impressed by him.