RACING W. D. Skelton In Fine Form At Blenheim

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28869, 14 April 1959, Page 4

RACING W. D. Skelton In Fine Form At Blenheim

(From Our Own Reporter! BLENHEIM, April 13. The Oamaru horseman, W. D. Skelton, was in excellent form on the concluding day of the Marlborough Racing Club’s annual meeting at Blenheim today. He rode four winners, including those of both legs of the T.A.B. double and the first leg of the oncourse double. Three of his winning mounts, Pilot Light, Rags and Patches, and Sir Noel, are trained by J. C. Hobbs at Oamaru and the other. Ocean Melody, is a member of M. R. Jones’s Washdyke team.

Pilot Light, which failed on a heavy track in the Marlborough Cup on the first day. gained his first win since January of last year in the main event and first leg of the T.A.B. double, the Richmond Brook Handicap. Skelton had Pilot Light handy from the start and he joined the pacemaking Hannibal three furlongs out.

He reached a clear lead soon after they straightened up and withstood a strong challenge from Lightning Bov. which came too late to be effective.

Rags and Patches completed the double with a narrow win in the Champion Hack Handicap. The holders of 2069 5s tickets on the combination received a double dividend of £29 16s 6d for £l. The on-course double was won by Sir Noel and Blotter. There were 306 successful 5s units on this combination, which returned a dividend of £l3 18s for £l. S. Bryce, of Otaki. and J C. Hobbs tied for the trainer's prize but on the toss of a coin Bryce won the trophy. W D. Skelton, who rode seven winners over the three days, won the jockey's prize.

The meeting was held in fine weather and the track had dried out considerably compared with the first two days. There was a good attendance.

On-course investments amounted to £22.261 10s. including £2949 10s on the doubles, compared with £24.024 on the third day last year, a decrease of £ 1762 10s. The total for the meeting was £65.890 10s against £73.359 10s last .year, a decrease of £7559.

First Leg Half a furlong after barriei rise in the Richmond Brook Handicap Beau Revere led by a length from Scottish King and Pilot Light. Lesparre. Hannibal and Whiohau were in line next Lightning Boy had drifted out to the rear and Instigator was just ahead of him.

Hannibal pulled his way to the front at the end of three furlongs and. passing the half-mile, he was out by two lengths from Beau Revere. Scottish King was next on the outside of Pilot Light and there were length intervals then to Instigator and Whiohau and four lengths to Lightning Boy.

Pilot Light moved up to join Hannibal as they passed the three and these two led for home from Scottish King. Lightning Boy was still two places back behind Beau Revere and Instigator. Hannibal was done as soon as they straightened up and Pilot Light led into the last furlong from Instigator. Scottish King and Lightning Boy coming strongly on the outer. Lightning Boy kept up his run to the end but failed by half a length to peg back Pilot Light Instigator fought on for third a similar margin back and then there was a length to Scottish King and two to Beau Revere. After a gap came Lesparre and Hannibal, with Whiohau at the rear. Outsiders Win Cruising, the outsider of six for a win, led for the last halt mile in the Seymour Handicap and fought on well to beat the top weight. Appreciate, by a length. Some of the interest in the event was lost when the win favourite, Fair King, bolted for a round of the course before the start and then slipped when the barrier was released and nearly came down. He showed speed to come from the rear to be third behind Cruising and Chattering at the half mile but weakened soon after and drifted

back to second last on the home turn.

There, Cruising was setting the pace from Appreciate with Chattering and Faeroe Bank handy. In the run from the furlong Appreciate tried hard to bridge the gap to Cruising but he found the task beyond him with 9-4 to master. Faeroe Bank ran on for thud three lengths back, then there were four lengths to Chattering, two to Fair King and a similar margin to Fair Summer at the rear. Fourth Success

The J. C. Hobbs-W. D. Skelton combination was successful for the fourth time at the meeting and completed the T.A.B. double for the day when Rags and Patches prevailed by a nose from Fern in the Champion Hack Handicap. Skelton had Rags and Patches handy from ti e start. She was in third place alongside Tintagel till the half-mile and these two came to the straight together behind Topa. Rags and Patches worked into a narrow lead from Topa at the furlong but just lasted from Fern [ which finished fast on the inner I Fern had been in the middle of the field to the half-mile but moved up smartly on the home turn to be behind the trailing horses. She beat Topa. which raced past his stablemate. Nugget. into the lead three furlongs i out. by a length. There was a Happy Monarch and Nugget were similar margin to Tintagel, then close up. The favourite Defiant was never handling the turns well and finished behind Marsana. but beat Gaymaris home. Results:—

| WAIRAU HACK HURDLES, of £250: about 13 furlongs—4. 2 GJ. P. and Dr. J. P. McQuilken’s HAYTIME <2> 10-0 G. T. Dobbs 1: 3, 4 W. A. Grant’s PITLOCHRY (3) 9-11 B. T. Jones 2; 2. 3 J. K. Searle’s MANANUI (5) 9-7 G Jenkins 3. 1. 1 Jenny Bank: 7. 7 Walkova: 5, 5 Mexico: 8. 8 Bryn Derwyn (fell): 6, 6 Flying Tango (pulled up) also started. Six lengths: three lengths. Jenny Bank was fourth. Time. 3min 2 4-5 sec. Winner trained by L. H. Pratt. Orari. Dividends.—Win: £6 Ils. Places: £1 10s 6d . £6 12s. £1 12s. TRIAL STAKES, of £200; seven ■ furlongs.—2,--2 R. C. McKenzie's SIR NOEL (13) 8-7 W. D. Skelton I; 4. 4 ' R. E. Johnstone’s BALANCE (4) 8-7 N. Eastwood 2; 1. 1 J. D. and J- A. i Cameron s SPLICE (1) 9-0 C. A. ' Bnwry 3. 3. 3 Treasure Mine: 7. 11 Amuiette: 12, 10 Delyric: 6, 6 Duster: 14. 13 Harksheen; 8, 8 Midray; 5, 5 Pictavia Girl: 10. 7 Pinafore; 11. 10 Redemption: 9. 9 Roa; 13. 12 Winterman also started. Neck; two lengths. Duster was fourth. Time. Imin 29 4-ssec- Winner trained by J. C. Hobbs, Oamaru Dividends.—Win: £3 17s. Places: £1 10s 6d. £2 10s 6d. £1 5s 6d. SEDDON HACK HANDICAP, of £225; seven furlongs.—2, 1 C. K. Long and W. J. Bromby’s BLOTTER (8) 8-5 G. W. Mein 1; 6, 6 R. C. Southie’s DEARWOOD (11) 8-2 W D. Wyllie 2: 9. 10 P. B. Macfarlane’s ARROW ROYAL (4) 8-6 B. S. Finlayson 3. 1. 2 Jayell; 8. 8 Harkville; 4 .4 Stage Boy; 3, 3 Awatere; 5, 3 Nero; 7, 7 Tickled Pink; 10, 9 Dellar also started. Length and a half; one length. Jayell was fourth. Time. Imin 30 4-ssec. Winner trained by W. J. Bromby, Trentham. Dividends.—Win: £3 2s. Places: £1 7s 6d, £3 ss, £ll 19s. RICHMOND BROOK HANDICAP, of £350; nine furlongs.—l, 2 R. C. McKenzie’s PILOT LIGHT (5) car. 7-8 W D. Skelton 1; 2, 1 J. Y Scale’s LIGHTNING BOY (13), 7-3 N. Eastwood 2; 8, 8 R. S. Lovegrove’s INSTIGATOR (11) car. 7-6 B. S. Dodds 3. 5, 5 Whiohau; 3, 3 Beau Revere; 7. 7 Hannibal; 4, 4 Lesparre: .6, 6 Scottish King also started. Half a length: same. Scottish King was fourth. Time, Imin' 55 3-Ssec Winner trained by J. C. Hobbs. Oamaru. Dividends.—Win: £3 6s. Places: £1 8s 6d. £1 7s. £6 2s. NURSERY HANDICAP, of £200; five furlongs.—2, 2 E. A. Clark’s PRINCE MOROCCO (3) 7-10 J. M. Dempsey 1; 7, 7 G. W. Riddell's HUI MAI (8) 7-7 R. Ackland 2; 3, 3 P. Smyth’s CLAIR OF YORK car. 7-8 W. D. Skelton 3. 1. 1 Stiletto; 5. 6 Last Link; 4. 4 Chance Encounter; 6. 5 Wisteria also started. Half a neck: three lengths. Chance Encounter was fourth. Time, 63 3-5 sec. Winner trained by owner, Riccarton. Dividends.—Win: £3 3s 6d. Places; £2 3s. £6 3s. SEYMOUR HANDICAP, of £300; seven furlongs.—6, 5 L. R. C. Macfarlane’s CRUISING (6) car. 7-0 A. H. Eastwood 1; 2, 1 L. H. Pratt’s APPRECIATE (1) 9-4 W. D. Skelton 2; 3, 3 J. Duggan s FAERO BANK 7-6 N. Eastwood 3. 1,2 Fair King; 4, 4 Chattering: 5, 6 Fair Summer also started. Length; three lengths. Chattering was fourth. Time. Imin 28 3-ssec. Winner trained by C. G. Humphries, Riccarton. Dividends.—Win: £l4 9s 6d. Places: £4 2s. £1 8s 6d. CHAMPION HACK HANDICAP, of £320; about eleven furlongs.—s, 5 J. A. Bates's RAGS AND PATCHES tll> 7-8 W. D. Skelton 1; 3. 4 A. C. RulleH's FERN <4) 8-4 E. G. Low 2; 4. 3 N. H. Macdonald's TOPA (8* car. 7-134 A. J. Stokes 3. 7, 7 Marsana: 1. 2 Defiant; 6. 6 Tintagel; 8. 8 Heath; 4. 3 Nugget; 2. 1 Happy Monarch; 9. 9 Gaymaris j also started. I Nose: length. Tintagel was fourth. I Time, 2min 22sec. Winner trained ! by J. C. Hobbs. Oamaru. Dividends.—Win: £7 19s. Places. i £2 8s 6d, £2 Is. £1 18s 6d. Bracket: Nugget and Topa. I DASH HACK HANDICAP, of ! £225; five furlongs.—l, 1 Mrs E. R. Simmons's OCEAN MELODY (1) 9-2 ■W. D. Skelton 1; 2.2 Sir Ernest Davis’s AWAKERI (2) 8-3 R. W. i Gould 2; 3. 3 O. Evans and H. N • Greenwoods PITCH (6) 7-10 N. 1 Eastwood 3. • 7. 8 Vivien Leigh; 8. 7 Efte; 4, 4 Bon Salut; 5, 5 Erin’s Isle; 6, 6 Fair Blow also started. Five lengths; one length. Bon salut was fourth. Time, Imin 1 1-5 sec. Winner trained by M. R. Jones. Washdyke. Dividends.—Win: £2 10s. Places: £1 10s. £1 15s. £2 Is. ASHBURTON TROTTING CLUB CLASSIC RACE ENTRIES Entries (presenl Yearlings) for the N Z. Sapling Stakes. 1960, and N.Z Champion Stakes. 1960. will close JresiS'v S .l Cre ?'7' Ashburton, on TUESDAY, the I4th Inst., at 4 pan. J. B. NICOLL, Secretary. —Advt.