Orari Next For Hombre

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31785, 16 September 1968, Page 4

Orari Next For Hombre

Hombre, whose brilliant all-the-way win in the John Grigg Stakes was one of the features of racing at Ashburton on Saturday, will have his next race at the Geraldine spring meeting next Monday, and he is almost certain to run in the Dunedin Guineas next month.

R. J. Skelton has been engaged to ride Mr D. W. Wild’s swift three-year-old in the Geraldine Racing Club's President's Handicap.

On Saturday the Auckland jockey’s brother, F. H. Skelton, continued a successful association with the Comte de Grasse gelding. He allowed the chestnut to speed away to a lead of six lengths inside the first three furlongs and the favourite won by a length and a half from Harold Bank, which shaded Every Post. The others were outclassed. There was a gap of five lengths to the fourth horse, Red Scarf.

Hombre, a robust gelding by the American-bred Comte de Grasse from Cymbalo, graduated to open company with a win in the Aylesbury Handicap at the Grand National meeting and ran second to Shipmaster in the open sprint on the first day of the Ashburton meeting. In 15 starts he has weighed in on all but two occasions. He is trained at Riccarton by V. D. Clutterbuck, who said on Saturday that he was confident that Mr Wild’s speedster would get the mile of the Dunedin Guineas. EARLY LEAD Hombre opened up a lead of four lengths In the first two furlongs and went further ahead beyond the half mile where he was out by ilx lengths from

Martian ' Command and Red Scarf.

Every Post and Harold Bank were be»ing ridden in the next line, probably in the hope that Martian Command and Red Scarf would carry them closer to the pacemaker. But Hombre was still out by four or five lengths on the home turn and nothing short of a collapse on his part could have let any of the others in. Harold Bank and Every Post ran the last furlong almost as one and steadily cut into Hombre’s lead, but F. H. Skelton saw nothing to disturb him when he stole a quick glance over his shoulder insdde the last 50 yards.

Harold Bank beat Every Post by half a neck for second but, as expected, the others were unable to measure up in this class. Red Scarf was the best of them, but was in a gap of five lengths in fourth position. Two-year-old Shows Speed Euripydies easily won a division of the two-year-old parade at Ashburton on Saturday. and a start for him in the Dunedin Jockey Club’s McLean Stakes now seems certain. Euripydies, a sturdy colt by Alcimedes from Lady Beacon trained at Riccarton by C. C. McCarthy for Messrs J. R. Pltcaithly and A. Scott, had three rivals In the first division, and won by three lengths from Find It, a bay colt by Mystery from Trove, owned by Messrs R. G. and D. G. Gerard. An unnamed gelding by Eastern Nip from Catherine's Gold which wil'l do hii racing for Messrs R. Boyd and O. F, S. Martini was thirf, threequarters of a length back. The two-year-olds ran from just beyond the two furlongs and Euripydies won his division in 25 3-s«ec. Four fillies ran in the second division. The winner by a head was Eastern Gold, a brown filly by Eastern Nip from Lady Goldwyn owned by Mrs T). R. Mackie and trained at Riccarton by her husband. Second was Pocomoto, a bay by Llanstephan from Active from C. L. Hemmingsen’s Washdyke stable. Mr E. Jackson’s unnamed filly by Pictavia from Peak Mahru was about a length back third, just ahead of Gilpino (CampoPrincess Gilpin). The time for the second division was 26 2-ssec. Two Inquiries Dismissed

Two inquiries into alleged interference were dismissed by the judicial committee of the Ashburton County Racing Club on Saturday.

After the John Grigg Stakes an inquiry was held into alleged interference by Harold Bank, ridden by D. N. Hadfield, to Every Post (D. R. Sanderson) over the concluding stages of the race. The committee dismissed the charge because of conflicting evidence. Payment of the win dividend was held up after the Mount Somers Hack Handicap while an inquiry was held into the alleged shifting of ground by the winner, Watchman <E. G. Low), over the concluding stages of the race. It was alleged that Watchman had caused Interference to the run-ner-up, Miss Mannequin (J. R. Dowling). The committee found that there was insufficient evidence to cause any alterations to the judge’s placings. Low said tn evidence that his horse had shied at a tractor and moved out suddenly.