FACING C.J.C. double a triumph for M.J. Skelton

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33453, 7 February 1974, Page 8

FACING C.J.C. double a triumph for M.J. Skelton

The leading Riccarton jockey, M. J. Skelton, took sure aim at the Canterbury Jockey Club's T.A.B. double yesterday. Skelton triumphed on the successful combination, Lomax and Grey Way, which returned a dividend of $29.75 for ’ SI

Lomax was a lukewarm fancy for the first leg, the New Zealand Breweries Handicap, but Grey Way, a winner at Trentham at his previous start, dominated betting on the Gordon’s Gin Handicap. After Lomax finished eleventh in the Benson and Hedges Inter-Island Handicap last Friday, the Matamata jockey, G. L. Willetts, said that the Southland gelding would soon win a race; in weaker class. Willetts’s judgment proved correct yesterday when the Lomond gelding from Invercargill easily won the New Zealand Breweries Handicap. M. .1. Skelton, who had ridden Mister Pompous in the feature race at Riccarton last Friday, gave Lomax every chance yesterday with a ground-saving run on the inside. Easy win Lomax took a gap strongly on the inner to burst clear, and won going away by two lengths from Nip

O’Scotch, which made strong headway late in the race to beat Dalkeith Lad by half a length for second. Lomax is raced in partnership by Mrs S. G. Shaw and Mr G. W. Wilson. Mrs Shaw’s husband, who trains Lomax at Invercargill, also prepares Ice Pack, which won the high-weight on the first day of the meeting. Town Major was an expensive favourite. J. R. Dowling settled the six-year-old in a trailing position early in the race, brought him'forward for a challenge

'early in the run home, but I was on a forlorn hope all of 1200 metres out. Town Major dropped away into a gap of four lengths in I fourth position, half a length ahead of Foreign Aid. ■ Bettylyn, the third favour'iite, was an undistinguished I I seventh. i Coorabin was in front ' with a slipped saddle about 1 1200 metres out, and tried to ’ finish eighth. He displaced in ’ the lead the Wingatui mare, 1 (Flush, whose saddle also Jislipped early in the race. Strong challenge Grey Way brought his • record to four wins in his i last five starts when he won : the Gordon's Gin Handicap Ji for Mr P. G. South. He

showed his Tenacious quali-i 'ities in a rails challenge to| master the pacemaking Jury I about half way down the' straight. i Willie Beware enlivened the finish with a challenge • wider out, and got to within half a length of Grey Way. but without looking likely to /reach the favourite. 4 "He doesn’t win many of > his races by big margins, i but he is hard to peg back , when the heat is on," said i M. J. Skelton of Grey Wax’, after the race. Jury had to share third place with the Riccarton three-year-old, Shudup. in a 11 spectacular finish for the ; minor places. 11 Shifnal King was next > I best, but in a gap of two