RACING Dalvui Showed Courage In Riccarton Win

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31655, 16 April 1968, Page 4

RACING Dalvui Showed Courage In Riccarton Win

Dalvui, a handsome son of Targui and a one-eyed Red Mars mare which never raced, carried an army of backers through in the George Adams Handicap at Riccarton yesterday.

In winning the Canterbury Jockey Club’s feature $7200 race, Dalvui showed he had courage to match his class and good looks.

His win sparked off an extra volume of enthusiasm from the crowd because it also gave the leading jockey, W. D. Skelton, his 100th win for the season. Skelton had to employ all the vigour for which he is noted to get Dalvui home by half a length from the Riccar-ton-trained Royal Master. Dalvui’s tendency to run keenly gave Skelton some worrying moments. “He would not settle down as I would have liked him to,” Skelton said later. Dalvui, a member of D. Jones's successful Hastings team, ran most of the race in a trailing position but he

was brought three wide to make his winning challenge. Skelton lias now won seven races on Dalvui, and only once, in the Hawke’s Bay Cup this year, has been beaten on the Targui entire in a middle distance event. Dalvui is raced by his Hawke's Bay breeder, Mr E. W. Symes, who said after the race that his horse would probably be taken home without racing again at the meeting. Exchangeable, the dam of Dalvui, has become another noted producer sired by Red Mars, and she belongs to the famous Eulogy family. Dalvui started from the outside of the field of 10 but Skelton had him close to the rails quickly and secured a trailing run when Point Duty went ahead.

Segundo joined Dalvui near the mile and a quarter, and Royal Master was one of the runners in the next line. Point Duty led into the last five furlongs by a neck from Segundo. Roman General was then alongside Dalvui, and Royal Master followed, alongside Carpenter. Royal Master made a sharp run up to Point Duty near the home turn, and Dalvui was switched away from the inside to take up the chase. Royal Master showed no signs of weakening going to the furlong, and it was late before the vigorously-ridden Dalvui established his mastery. Millie Small ran another sound race in a highly consistent career with a third, four lengths back, and half a length ahead of the tiring Point Duty. Royal Encounter, the tailender for a good way, was fifth a length back, two lengths clear of Carpenter.