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Group 1-winning Irish rider Ronan Whelan will look to start his maiden NSW riding stint with a bang when he makes Australian debut at Kembla Grange on Saturday.

Whelan rode at Warwick Farm trials on Friday morning but will leg up at his first meeting with three rides at the NSW provincial meeting this weekend.

The 32-year-old arrived in Sydney in recent weeks for a two-month riding stint over the Australian summer and has based himself at Royal Randwick with John O'Shea & Tom Charlton.

Irish jockey Ronan Whelan - has three rides at Kembla Grange on Saturday

He joins the likes of Billy 'The Kid' Loughnane and Harry Davies in Australia for a summer riding stint with Dylan Browne McMonagle heading back home just before Christmas.

Whelan has ridden across Ireland and the United Kingdom for the past 15 years with an abundance of success after making his riding debut in June 2009.

Since then the talented hoop has booted home 568 winners, with 39 stakes victories and three Group 1 triumphs in Ireland, France and the United Arab Emirates.

O'Shea and Charlton will look to help Whelan get off to a winning start in Australia with the booking on Celtic Sin in the Greenway Turf Solutions Super Maiden (1600m).

Celtic Sin ($18 on TAB) is yet to win in six attempts and was last seen finishing fifth over 1500m at Goulburn on December 20.

Whelan starts his day on the John Sargent-trained Whispering Way ($31) in the Carlton Dry 3.5 Maiden Handicap (1300m). The daughter of Lonhro went unplaced in three starts during her maiden preparation and makes her return following a 142-spell.

Whispering Way will need to overcome Annabel Neasham & Rob Archibald's overwhelming favourite Imposing Pier ($1.65).

Missile Defence ($8.50), trained by Anthony Cummings, is set to chase a hard earned second career victory in the Royal Stone Stud Bm64 Handicap (1400m).

When a $4.50 chance, Missile Defence was found to be slow to recover after he failed to beat a runner home when well in the market at Newcastle last time.

Meanwhile, state premiership leading rider and star apprentice Mollie Fitzgerald is poised for another massive day in the saddle with bookings on several key chances.

Fitzgerald pilots the odds-on Imposing Pier, Magic Stalker ($2.40 favourite), Monte Braveheart ($8.50), French Marine ($9) as well as Code In Time ($4.80 fav).

Racing for Kembla's first meeting of 2025 jumps from 12.55pm.

View final fields with full form & race replays for Kembla Grange here