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By Ray Hickson

Jockey Aaron Bullock knows better than most how to get the best out of Oakfield Duke and is keen to enhance his record on the talented grey at Rosehill on Saturday.

Jockey Aaron Bullock

He’s been on board the Kristen Buchanan-trained gelding in all four wins but was an observer when the gelding resumed with an even third behind Garrison at Randwick on New Year’s Eve.

Bullock, who arrives at Rosehill as the premiership front-runner in NSW with his treble at Gunnedah on Thursday edging him ahead of James McDonald on 66.5 wins, said Saturday’s Midway Handicap (1200m) is well within his grasp.

“I feel you’ll see him improve a couple of lengths second-up,’’ Bullock said.

“He ran third first-up and I thought it was a really good run. Sitting outside the leader off one trial, he’s only going to come on match fitness wise.

“When he’s got cover he harnesses that turn of foot. The other day he just landed there easily so there was no option.

"From the draw I’d like to have him one or two pairs back and I feel that will get the best out of him.”

Oakfield Duke, $6 with TAB on Friday, has long been a favourite of Bullock’s and it harks back to late December 2021 when he steered the grey home in a trial at Wyong.

He told owner Bruce Mackenzie that day he felt the horse was a talent and he’s standing by that view seven starts later, which has seen him win four straight before a failure at Rosehill in September that Bullock is very forgiving of.

“I’ve liked him from the day I first sat on him, he showed pretty well straight away he had good ability and he’s lived up to it,’’ he said.

“A lot of horses win their maiden and take a lot longer to win another one, or some might put two on the trot, but to do what he did was a good effort.

“He’s a nice horse, I’ve got a lot of time for him, he’s got a high cruising speed and a really good turn of foot when he can harness that energy.

“He’d probably just come to the end of the prep when we tried him over 1300m (in a Midway at Rosehill).

"I believe he will get that trip but just at the end of a big prep he just failed, he didn’t get beaten that far.”

It’s been over three and a half years since Bullock has partnered Todd Howlett’s hardy Two Big Fari in a race but they’ll have a reunion in the TAB Handicap (1500m).

He was on board in the gelding’s debut way back on June 7 in 2019 and guided him to a maiden win three weeks later.

Garrison wins at Randwick on December 31

Since then Two Big Fari has won another six races and Bullock expects he’ll be fitter for his first run in seven weeks when beaten three lengths by Cuban Royale two weeks ago.

“He takes a bit of riding the old boy,’’ Bullock said.

“On his day he’s a horse that could get beaten a length in a maiden or a Saturday metro race.

“He’s honest, he tries, he needs hard riding and hopefully I can get the best out of him.”

All the fields, form and replays for Saturday's Rosehill meeting