RACING Was Not Told Skelton Will Ride Court Belle

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31027, 5 April 1966, Page 5

RACING Was Not Told Skelton Will Ride Court Belle

A report published last week-end listed the leading jockey, R. J. Skelton, as the rider of Court Belle in the £3600 George Adams (Tattersail) Handicap at Riccarton next Monday.

One person unaware that Skelton had accepted the mount on Court Belle was D. P. Wilson, the veteran trainer of the George Adams (Tattersall) Handicap top-weight, Palisade.

“Bob never told me that he was riding Court Belle at Riccarton,” Wilson told “The Press” yesterday.

Wilson would not commit himself regarding Palisade’s immediate programme. He said Mr A. T. Ottrey’s good stayer was also entered for the Hawke's Bay Jockey Club’s meeting, which would begin | next Saturday week. i “I want to study the nominations for there before making a final decision,” said | Wilson. “If we decide to race [at Riccarton we will not be I arriving before Saturday I morning.” But if Palisade runs in the j first leg of the Canterbury i Jockey Club’s T.A.B. double (he will have a new rider. Skelton confirmed last evening that he will ride Court Belle. “I know I said after riding Palisade to victory in the Awapuni Gold Cup that 1 would be prepared to ride him wherever he raced,” said Skelton. “But I did not think he would run again until the Ormond Gold Cup. When he was paid up for, at Riccarton it was quite a surprise.” Skelton said that some [time ago he had agreed, where possible, to ride Court Belle in all her engagements. The last time he rode her was at the Wellington Cup meeting where she won the Wellington Racing Club Handicap, one mile and a half. “At that time I was not even in the picture as Palisade’s prospective rider,” said Skelton. Skelton’s mount in the Great Easter will be Manana,

the brilliant winner of the Charles Bailey Memorial Handicap at Rangiora last Friday, when having his first start since November, 1964. Manana will be one of three runners for J. C. Tomkinson's stable in the Great Easter. The others are Shipmate and Pharasal, both owned by Mr A. N. Smith, of Dunedin. The stable jockey, A. J. Stokes, will ride Shipmate, the last to finish in the Charles Bailey Memorial at Rangiora when favourite. N. Eastwood, who has had earlier successes on Tomkin-son-trained sprinters in their early victories in open class —Hush Money, Tamrin and Hushaway were three of them —will ride Pharasal, the im-

pressive winner of his last four races in the lower grade. Skelton, who has ridden two of the last five C. J. C. Champagne Stakes winners, will ride the Washdyke-trained Our Leigh in the classic next Monday. Our Leigh, an easy winner of a division of the two-year-old race at Ashburton last week when ridden by J. R. Dowling, also won at the Dunedin autumn meeting in the hands of Skelton. Busy Week A busy week for Skelton will start with the first day of the Auckland Racing Club’s Easter meeting on Saturday. He will fly to Christchurch on Monday morning for the first day at Riccarton and then will travel south for the final day of the Riverton meeting on the Tuesday.

He will return to Riccarton for the second day of the C. J. C. meeting and will then return north for the final day of the Auckland meeting.