Bo Diddley adds to Coast record

Press, 9 January 1986, Page 17

Bo Diddley adds to Coast record

By ALEX McMILLAN

The Richmond-trained Bo Diddley improved an already impressive record on West Coast courses when he ran out a convincing winner of the 1400 m Shirley Lodge Handicap, the first leg of the T.A.B. double, at the Reefton Jockey Club’s annual meeting at Reefton yesterday. The gelded son of Beaufort Sea and Mortisse, was recording his seventh career win to date for his Belfast breeders, Mike and June Douglas, his earlier successes coming at Westport (four), and Omoto (two). Bo Diddley’s trainer, John Healey, had originally engaged Shane Anderton to ride the six-year-old but when the Wingatui rider was unable to meet the book weight of 52kg, the

rider was offered to the visiting Levin-based rider, David Skelton.

Skelton, aged 27, a son of former leading jockey, Bill Skelton, always had Bo Diddley in close contact with the pacemakers, and brought his charge on a well-timed late run to outfinish the dominating favourite, Sound Note, which had slipped clear on the home turn.

“No worries, at all, he was always going to win,” said an elated Skelton after the race, obviously gaining added pleasure from the win after unsuccessfully partnering well-supported maiden runners from the stable of his uncle, Errol Skelton, earlier in the day. It was also David Skelton’s first day of riding on the West Coast.

Bo Diddley is likely to be withdrawn from Kumara on Saturday and may be stepped up to a middle

distance at Hokitika on Monday, according to Healey.

Sound Note was far from disgraced in finishing second as she had gained the measure of the pacemaking Miss March before the home turn and only surrendered her advantage in the concluding stages. “She was cruising on the turn, but could have been a run short,” said her rider, Chris Johnson, who will again be on the mare at Kumara.

Beau Magnum ran his usual honest race for third just ahead of Blyme, which returned a first-class trial for the Sweetman Corcoran Centennial Nuggets on Saturday. Last year’s winner, Double Bank, simply failed to fire according to his rider, Grant Davison, and finished a well-beaten seventh.