First Skelton win at Trentham was on a ‘bolter’

Press, 15 July 1985, Page 34

First Skelton win at Trentham was on a ‘bolter’

By

J. J. BOYLE

When Langham, fifteenth favourite in a field of 21, proved the giant killer in the Wellington Racing Club Handicap on January 24, 1949, he was proving a notable first for his young apprentice rider from Orari, one William David Skelton. Langham was one of five winners for South Island stables on an eight-race programme at Trentham that day. More to the point in terms of on-going records, he was giving Bill Skelton his first winning ride on the course that had undisputed claim in those days to the title of New Zealand racing’s Mecca.

If that first Skelton victory at Trentham stirred little public enthusiasm, that could not be said for Bustlin’ Bill’s final triumph

on the course 36>/z years later. That was achieved in the Winter Oats, the feature flat race on the final day of the Wellington winter meeting on Saturday. The meeting opened in grey, threatening weather but there was a surprisingly good roll-up and many of the cash customers went there in anticipation of Skelton capturing at least one win in his final day of race riding on the course.

Win No. 198 at Trentham for Skelton became as close to a racecourse certainty as one could find when connections of Greek Meer last Wednesday offered the ride to Skelton. That day Greek Meer, a famous mudlark from Taranaki, had won the Parliamentary Handicap by seven lengths in the hands

of Paul Taylor. On Saturday the eight-year-old was never gong to be anything better than at odds-on for the Winter Oats, but he gave Skelton a fright when he dropped his head and almost fell out of the starting gate when the field was sent away. As he was being deluged under a wave of congratulations from fellow jockeys after the race, Skelton reported that Greek Meer had never been on the bit in the race until he was upsides with Orkahn in the lead before the home turn. To a mounting volume of noise from the crowd, Greek Meer went clear soon after, and there was no stopping him.

Greek Meer’s trainer, Jack Walker, had told Skelton not to relax his efforts on the favourite. But Skel-

ton could allow himself the luxury of a glance behind half way down the straight, and the comforting knowledge that none of the others was finding enough to place that No. 198 victory under threat. “I didn’t want to be too hard on him,” Skelton said later. Even so Greek Meer had three lengths to show for his superiority on one of Trentham’s typical winter tracks, one that had taken a drenching the day before. Skelton brough Greek Meer back for a warm ovation from the crowd, and a few minutes later his great achievements on the course and his contributions to racing were extolled before he was presented by the club president, Mr D. A. Smith, with a cabinet of cutlery.

Skelton had three more rides on Saturday in his effort to get to 200 wins on the course, but his hopefuls, Retinette, Bridge Player, and Kinmoss finished out of the money. Bridge Player was the Skelton hopeful for the Onslow Handicap, second leg of the T.A.B. double, but fifth was the best he could do.

Koberstein almost dwarfed most of his rivals for size in the Onslow, and the three-year-old from Feilding matched physique with performance. In the hands of David Walsh, he won by three parts of a length from Flying Tui. Riccarton’s Black Arrow did something to improve the South_ Island’s bleak record at the meeting by battling into third two and a half lengths back.