Support for apprentices

Press, 30 August 1979, Page 20

Support for apprentices

Greymouth reporter ,The Air New Zealand South Island Apprentice Riders Championship to be held at the Greymouth Jockey Club’s meeting on November 24 will clash with a similar event being staged by the Auckland Racing Club. However, this should not cause a major problem, members of the Greymouth club were told at their annual meeting on Tuesday evening. Three top South Island apprentices will be absent from the Greymouth meeting, but three others who would not have had the opportunity to show their skills will now be invited to participate. The Auckland Racing Club had also supported “in a tangible way” the South Island competition, it was stated. A former leading rider, Grenville Hughes, has

accepted an invitation to attend the Greymouth meeting. He will interest himself in the barrier and race riding techniques of the apprentices and enter into after-race discussions with them as well as speaking at a social function to be arranged by the club. The Skelton brothers, formerly of Cobden, have made a substantial cash donation which will be used to meet the cost of a mounted saddle to be presented to the champion apprentice. John Burns and Company has presented a trophy for the runner-up. The former New Zealand jockey, Brent Thomson, now in Australia, wrote a letter of support and enclosed a donation which will be used to provide a trophy for the third place-getter. 'A, group of Canterbury supporters have provided a trophy for the fourth-placed apprentice.