Racing: Veteran jockeys toast a Cup of memories

Jimmy Cappie, who rode a Riverton Cup winner 56 years ago, recalled old times with other winning riders of the race at a function on Saturday.

Bob Skelton and Ernie (Midge) Didham made the trip from Australia to attend the meeting at the invitation of the Riverton Racing Club.

The jockeys were presented with plaques by the club.

Cappie, 79, now retired in Invercargill, won the race on Dusty Miller in 1953.

He served his apprenticeship with the late Bill Hazlett at Invercargill and rode his first winner Black Light at Cromwell in 1946. He was a natural lightweight and rode Dusty Miller at seven stone one pound (45kg).

Dusty Miller was owned and trained at Riverton by Maurice Corkery.

"We were dressing horses on the Friday afternoon before the race and Maurice came into the stables and asked if I had a ride," recalled Cappie.

Skelton won the Riverton Cup in Cheerio in 1955 and Great Sensation in 1958. He won the Wellington Cup on Great Sensation in three successive years from 1961. He won also won the 1976 Melbourne Cup on Van Der Hum.

He was nine times champion jockey in New Zealand and rode 20 winners over two miles or 3200m.

Skelton, 74, trained at Mornington after he stood down from riding in 1987. He is now retired.

He praised the Riverton club for staging the get-together.

"Meeting people is a big thing in racing," he said.

Didham won the Riverton Cup on Apathy (1963), Eiffel Tower (1965), Macdonald (1970), Pole Star (1971) and Tourie (1972) for owner Bill Hazlett and Riverton trainer Bill Hillis.

Didham won the 1970 Melbourne Cup on Baghdad Note and he topped the New Zealand jockeys' premiership with 99 wins in the 1969-70 season.

Russell McAra, who won the Cup on Loch Linnhe (1974), Zee Bee (1975), De Lomond (1976) and Myra May (1983), also attended.

- OTAGO DAILY TIMES