Bob Skelton, New Zealand-Australian Thoroughbred horse racing jockey, Died at 81

  Sports

Robert James “Bob” Skelton was born in 1934, and died on August 19, 2016.

He was a top jockey in New Zealand and Australian Thoroughbred horse racing who competed from the 1950s through the 1980s.

His many major race wins includes, Skelton rode Great Sensation to three victories in the Wellington Cup and won the Auckland Cup on Rose Mellay in 1974 and again in 1977 on Royal Cadenza.

During 1976, Bob rode Van der Hum to victory in Australia’s most prestigious race, the Melbourne Cup and ten years later rode Rising Fear into second place in the 1986 Cup.

During the 1978 Queen’s Birthday Honours, Bob Skelton was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for services to horse racing as a jockey.

Skelton retired in the 1987-88 season.

He was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 1995, and into the New Zealand Racing Hall of Fame in 2006.

In 2007 the Auckland Racing Club voted him as their 8th official “Legend of Ellerslie” where he won nine jockey premierships at Ellerslie Racecourse between 1955 and 1976.

He died in Melbourne.

Bill Skelton, his brother, was also a successful jockey.

Bob Skelton passed away at 81 years old.