Leading Jockey To Ride At Ashburton

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31627, 13 March 1968, Page 4

Leading Jockey To Ride At Ashburton

The leading jockey, W. D Skelton, will come south to ride at the Ashburton meeting next Saturday. One of his mounts will be General Gilbert, a narrow winner in Skelton’s hands at the Canterbury Jockey Clubs summer meeting last month.

Skelton probably will ride Cosmetic in the Coldstream Handicap, second leg of the T.A.B. double.

Cosmetic, which won her first race at Ashburton, and also won there as a hack, is one of three members of D J. Thistoll’s Riccarton team in the Coldstream Handicap, the others being Pango and Never Again.

M. J. Skelton has been engaged for Pango, which sprinted half a mile in 51 l-ssec on the trial grass at Riccarton yesterday. Earlier, Cosmetic (Moir) and Never Again (McCann) ran half a mile on terms in 52 4-ssec.

The fastest half-mile of the training was 49sec, recorded by the stablemates Walaroo (Tucker) and Sleeky Fox (Gallery) in beating Carolina (Miss McPhie) by three lengths. Sleeky Fox and Walaroo will both rup for R. P. Register’s stable in the Alford Hack Handicap at Ashburton. Tumble (Cowles) impressed with his appearance and the dash he put into his sprint. He recorded 49 2-ssec for his half mile.

Agrippa (A. Eastwood) ran his half mile in 49 4-ssec. Another to record 49 4-ssec was the two-year-old Equal Chance (L. Jackson). He shaped as if he could be one of the improvers in the Lauriston Handicap at Ashburton.

Sabell (Carston) showed he was making pleasing progress in preparation for an autumn campaign by sprinting his half mile in 49 3-ssec.

Beit Meri (Gullery) sprinted her half mile in 50 l-ssec, and did her work well. She shapes as if she will be an early winner for C. McDonald's stable.

Royal Master and Goudhurst, two more members of McDonald’s team engaged at Ashburton, were joined by Julmark and Conciliation for a sound seven-furlong trial yesterday. They finished abreast in Imin 30 3-ssec, and ran their last half mile in 51 l-ssec.

Conciliation did well for a maiden to last it out with the others.

Takatua (Taggart) ran a mile in Imin 47 4-ssec. He was joined near the seven furlongs by Royal Blue (Stammers) and they ran in from the half mile in 52 l-ssec.

Millie Small (Tucker) and Sir Limond (Hadfield) had their race riders up when they ran a mile in Imin 48 3-ssec. They were not near full stretch early, but quickened readily to record 51 2-ssec for their last half mile.

Millie Small and Sir Limond are two of the form runners for the Ashburton County Handicap next week.