Skelton fit for Trentham?

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33215, 3 May 1973, Page 16

Skelton fit for Trentham?

Trentham punters will probably be able to welcome back one of their great favourites on Saturday.

If he receives a medical clearance tomorrow the highly popular and successful jockey W. D. (Bustlin’ Bill) Skelton will resume race riding after a long, enforced absence. Skelton has been out of action since a fall from I’ll Be There at Hawera on October 18. He injured his right shoulder, badly straining ligaments, and treatment for the trouble has made demands on Skelton’s stoicism and perserverance. He spent a week in' Palmerston North Hospital two months ago and the shoulder has continued to respond to treatment in the meantime. He has been riding in training gallops at Levin since the beginning of February, and has reached the stage where he feds he is fit to do justice to his mounts and supporters of his mounts. However, he does not seek, full books until he is satisfied ! he will be at full race riding fitness and his only mount, a

provisional one for Saturday, is Bompa in the Wadestown Handicap, second leg of the T.A.B. double. He has another immediate problem, of getting his weight down to below yesterday’s “walking” weight of 8.7. Part of his training regimen is jogging the half mile between his home and the stables of his father-in-law, F. C. Pratt, and he does not think it will be long before he is once again able to take “light” rides. After almost seven months away from racing Skelton is, understandably, keen to resume. For their part, course and TAB. patrons, will be just as keen to see this popular horseman back in action. It is one of the features of the New Zealand racing scene that hundreds of people who like to take a double or place a bet will base their selections not on form or pedigree but on the answer to one simple question: “What does Bill Skelton ride?”