A day of memories for Skelton’s ‘army’

Press, 15 May 1985, Page 48

A day of memories for Skelton’s ‘army’

By

J. J. Boyle

“That bloody Bill Skelton.” That was the cry of exasperation from a North Island owner on the official stand at Riccarton on November 9, 1968, as he watched his colour-bearer, Mammoth, succumb to the late challenge of Noir Filou in the New Zealand Cup. Noir Filou’s vigorous, skilful partner was, of course, Bill Skelton, and memories of that Cup victory will be revived for many at the Canterbury Jockey club’s meeting at Riccarton today.

It will be Skelton’s last day of race riding on the course, and the Noir Filou Handicap is one of four races on the programme linked with the remarkable West Coast-born veteran and his winning ways with some big winners. Long before he moved from Oamaru to settle in Levin in 1963, Bill Skelton had assembled an army of followers. They had come to recognise in the bustling, busy style of this “graduate” from the Lionel Pratt establishment at Orari a combination of qualities that brought him to the forefront in a strongly competitive field of race riding. So fOr everyone who might have been moved to utter a disagreeable word about “that bloody Bill Skelton” there were hundreds prepared to back up their admiration for the nuggety dynamo with great dollops of dollars through the T.A.B. and tote windows. Bill Skelton rode his first winner at Wingatui in October 1947. It was Boolamskee, which had to split the honours with Lord Dundonald in the Dunedin Jockey Club Handicap. In sharp contrast was the character of his first win on Riccarton. The race was the Craven Plate, run at Riccarton on

February 7, 1948. The Skelton mount was Martial Note, a Battle Song gelding from the Omoto stable of Jim Walsh. Irish Note was the favourite, but that high-class sprinter went into the race with 9.5, and had to settle for second three lengths behind Martial Note, which carried 7.0 and an exuberant Bill Skelton.

“I don’t have any special memories of the race, but I suppose I must have got the feeling that I was starting to make it in the big time,” Skelton said yesterday. Of all the winners Skelton has kicked home at Riccarton since then, Daryl’s Joy is high on his short list of quality performers. Skelton won the C.J.C. Pioneer and Irwell Handicaps at Riccarton on Daryl’s Joy as a two-year-old.

A year later the combination triumphed in the Cox Plate and V.R.C. Derby in Melbourne. “In the form he showed to win the Derby at Flemington I’m sure he could have gone on and won the Melbourne Cup that year,” Skelton said.

“He confirmed my impressions about him when he went to the United States and showed he was right up with the best of them on grass tracks.” Bill Skelton’s younger brother, Bob, partnered Great Sensation in his re-cord-breaking Wellington Cup treble. But Bill Skelton was up for the Cassock gelding’s first win at Riccarton, and again when he won the Dominion and Sockbum Handicaps at the 1959 Easter meeting. “I won a Churchill Stakes on a top horse called Gulliver, but he did not live long enough to prove how good he really was,” Skelton says. “Brother Bob almost monopolised Grey Way when he was winning on the

North Island tracks, but I’ve got memories of winning a Great Easter on him at Riccarton.” Riccarton as a racecourse is not one of Bill Skelton’s particular favourites. “It’s too big to watch racing on, but its size has probably saved jockeys from landing in trouble. The way it has been built up against the running rail and falls away towards the middle of the track, I feel it could have caused many more falls if it had been a mile around, not a mile and a half.” Bill Skelton’s major wins at Riccarton:1948 Martial Note, Craven Plate 1950 Silence, Welcome Stakes 1951 Flying Sovereign, Dominion Handicap 1952 Silver King, Sockbum Handicap 1954 Gold Trend, Middle Park Plate Trinidad, Sockbum Handicap Sawdust, Jockey Club Handicap Gulliver, Churchill Stakes 1955 Americus, Dominion Handicap Super Maru, August Handicap Russleigh, Riccarton Handicap 1956 Cornflake, Midsummer Handicap 1957 Leprechaun, Craven Plate Tess, Great Easter Handicap Great Sensation, Papanui Handicap Tess, Dominion Handicap Rhythmonic, Sockburn Handicap Plunder, Islington Handicap Cornflake, Jockey club Handicap William Paul, Churchill Stakes Cardinal King, Members’ Handicap 1958 Cabonne, Champagne Stakes Goudvink, Warstep Stakes Pink Rose, August Handicap Motueka, Metropolitan Handicap 1959 Motueka, Midsummer Handicap Rustic, Warstep Stakes Great Sensation, Dominion

Handicap Minglow, Templeton Handicap

Great Sensation, Sockbum Handicap Foglia d’Oro, New Zealand Cup Desert Chief, Canterbury Cup 1960 Cardinal King, sixty-eighth Challenge Stakes 1961 Fairassan, Great Easter Handicap Andalusia, Warstep Stakes Valaris, Dominion Handicap Fairassan, Waltham Handicap Fairassan, Winter Cup Windvale Lad, august Handicap Windvale Lad, Heathcote Handicap 1962 Neron, Templeton Handicap Sailorman, Merivale Handicap 1963 Payout, Templeton Handicap Lei, winter Cup Shakes, Avonhead Handicap Shakes, August Handicap Shakes, Jockey Club Handicap 1965 Min Flicka, Champagne Stakes Fieldmaster, Paparua Handicap 1966 Sail Away, Dominion Handicap Agrippa, Champagne Stakes Wester, Templeton Handicap 1967 Royal Chase, Templeton Handicap Final Orders, Merivale Handicap 1968 Honda, Paparua Handicap Bompa, Selwyn Handicap Noir Filou, New Zealand Cup Daryl’s Joy, Pioneer Handicap Bompa, Canterbury Gold Cup Daryl’s Joy, Irwell Handicap 1970 Bargain Hunter, Templeton Handicap 1971 Triton, Winter Cup 1973 Showman, Welcome Stakes 1974 Jealous Lover, Challenge Stakes Master Morgan, Selwyn Handicap Zatashka, Welcome Stakes 1975 Grey Way, Great Easter 1976 Sly Wink, Welcome Stakes Jack Hobbs, Riccarton Hdicp 1977 Scotch William, Brabazon Handicap 1978 Head Planet, Selwyn Handicap 1980 Tono Bungay, Benson and Hedges.