A small time lady bar owner was fortunate to have a very special "local" horse in the 1941 Melbourne Cup

In 1941, a horse with links to the Western District won the Victoria Derby/Melbourne Cup double. Named after a small town west of Ballarat and with a female owner from Hamilton, Skipton had the two towns on their feet when he crossed the line to win the 1941 Melbourne Cup. As a birthday gift in 1939, Mrs Myrtle Kitson was given the choice of a yearling from her husband John. Myrtle selected a colt, sired by Marabou and out of Cupidity.  After maturing, he was sent to trainer Jack Fryer who had trained the 1936 Melbourne Cup winner Wonton. Myrtle wanted to call her colt “Monaco” but had some reservations, so she selected “Skipton” the name of the little town on the Glenelg Highway where she enjoyed stopping on travels to and from Hamilton.

Myrtle was superstitious, and on the day of the Derby of 1941, she remained in Hamilton tending the Grand Central Hotel, where she and her husband John were licensees. John and daughter Morva represented her at the races and when Skipton crossed the line as the winner of the VRC Derby, they accepted the trophy on Myrtle’s behalf. After the race, reports came through that Skipton had pulled up sore and was an uncertain starter in the Melbourne Cup the following Tuesday. The night before the Cup, Skipton was declared a starter with Billy Cook to take the mount. The late decision, although probably tactical, was the correct one as Skipton took out the race in a time of 3:23.75 carring only 47.63kg and collected his share of the £7,700 prize money. As Skipton crossed the line, Myrtle declared “Turn it on for the customers”.

In doing so, Skipton achieved a feat only twelve horses had done before and no horse has done since - winning the Victoria Derby/Melbourne Cup double in the same year as a 3YO. The whole of Hamilton crammed into the Grand Central Hotel that day to listen to the Cup on the wireless and plenty of money was bet on the “local” horse. That and the chance of free beer on the house were reasons enough to take a keen interest.

Before a Flemington crowd of 90,000, the chestnut colt Skipton was victorious from the New Zealand champion stayer Beau Vite, with Son of Aurous 3rd. Skipton gave Beau Vite a start from the half-mile, and was able to run past the older horse in the straight and defeat him by a little more than three lengths. Despite Skipton’s great record many still considered Beau Vite the superior horse, undone by the significant weight differential. The win gave Billy Cook his first Melbourne Cup in his eighth attempt, aged thirty-one, although he did have to ride 1lb overweight and had spent Monday at the Turkish baths wasting. He won the Cup again in 1945, aboard Rainbird, a horse bred in the Western District at Cavendish. By the end of his career Cook had won almost every major race in Australia and had received legend status. Skipton’s 1941 Cup success was surrounded by thirteens. He exited barrier 13, wore number 13, and by winning became the thirteenth horse to triumph in the Derby-Cup double.

The win was not without controversy though. Punters were angry because of the suggestion Skipton was unlikely to run due to pulling up badly after the Derby victory. The odds drifted out to 8/1 before rumours of a £25,000 bet begun spreading. John Kitson denied the rumours insisting he only bet £1000 - still a handsome wager in those days. A prominent Sydney owner was quick to criticise the secrecy surrounding the champion racehorse, but he did have serious problems with his teeth, which had his trainer Frye up all night as the young colt refused to eat, instead chewing on woodwork in an attempt to gain some relief. Myrtle was soon reunited with her precious horse who put her in the history books as the second only winning female owner of the Derby and the third winning female owner to of the Melbourne Cup.

The following year, 1942, Skipton did not start his preparation well, with a disappointing run in the Mentone Cup. However, he followed up with a win in the Stand Handicap, pushing him into Caulfield Cup favouritism. Skipton could only manage fifth in the race, with Arthur "Scobie" Beasley sucessful on Tranquil Star, narrowly defeating Heart’s Desire. Along with the Caulfield Cup, Tranquil Star won the Caulfield Stakes, WS Cox Plate and the McKinnon Stakes in the same season. Despite the defeat at Caulfield, come Melbourne Cup time Skipton was pushing for favouritism after John Kitson once again placed a rather healthy wager on Skipton, thus giving a hint that the horse was on target. The task was ahead of Skipton. No horse since Archer in 1861/82 had won consecutive cups and the horse to have won carrying more than 9st in the ten years before was the champion Peter Pan. Punters were willing to stick with Skipton especially after his excellent lead-up win in the Hotham Handicap carrying 9st 4lb.

The records remained intact in what became known as the Austerity Melbourne Cup due to World War II belt tightening efforts. A rank outsider called Colonus drew out by seven lengths on a quagmire heavy track over Phocion with another five lengths back to Heart’s Desire in the 1942 Cup. Skipton spent the entire race near the tail of the field. He was then sent out for a spell before his next tilt at the Cup in 1943. Skipton returned in the Spring of 1943 with the Caulfield Cup his first goal. In 1943 the £3000 Caulfield Cup was run in two divisions, due to the large number of final acceptors in the race. The first division was won by St Warden, ridden by White, and the second by the courageous Skipton with Breasley, at 9st. 2lb in the saddle. At the rear of the field in the early stages, Breasley maneuvered Skipton to eighth place at the half mile. As they turned into the straight, Skipton stretched out and won by one and a half lengths.

Naturally, Melbourne Cup favouritism ensued. In the big Cup as the horses entered the straight, it looked as though Skipton may win, sweeping around the field from a long way back as he made his run. However, as they entered the final furlong, he was forced wide and with a large weight could only manage a credible but well-beaten fifth, behind another favourite in the race Dark Felt.  Skipton then ran in the Williamstown Cup later in November and ran second to Claudette. That was the last race for Skipton. He was brought into the stable in early 1944 for an Autumn preparation, with the Australian Cup in mind. Unfortunately, in early February, Skipton developed heat in his near side foreleg and trained at the beach for several days, but the injury was serious, and an announcement was made he would not run in the Australian Cup and later an announcement of his retirement.

Just over a month later Myrtle Kitson sold Skipton at the Newmarket Sales. He fetched 1500 guineas as a stud prospect, the buyer Kooba Stud near Scone, NSW. Late in December 1948, news came through the Skipton was dead aged ten, the result of a tragic stable accident. Underrated, Skipton was the last horse to win the Melbourne Cup as a three-year-old and the last horse to win the Derby/Melbourne Cup, a record often forgotten.

RACE RECORD - 12: 7-2-1

EARNINGS - £15,072

1941 Moonee Valley Stakes

1941 Victoria Derby

1941 Melbourne Cup

1943 Caulfield Cup