82-year-old former jockey to celebrate special milestone at Doomben

THE years have not dimmed lively 82-year-old Arthur Lister’s memories of his glory days and the former jockey is set to revive a half-century old milestone at Doomben.

Arthur Lister will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his Doomben Cup win. Picture: Jono Searle.

THE years have not dimmed lively 82-year-old Arthur Lister’s memories of his glory days and the former jockey is set to revive a half-century old milestone at Doomben.

On a day that marks some notable Doomben Cup anniversaries, former jockey Lister will be on course to relive the 50th anniversary of his Doomben Cup win on Winfreux, no doubt recounting some of the successful punting coups he pulled off over the years.

This year’s Cup is also the 70th anniversary of the mighty Bernborough and 25th year since Rough Habit won the first of his three Doomben Cups on the way to winter carnival folklore.

Arthur Lister will celebrate the 50th anniversary of his Doomben Cup win. Picture: Jono Searle.

Triple Brisbane premiership winner Lister will be accompanied by family and friends as he reminisces about one of his greatest successes.

It was a sweet victory for Lister, who had missed the winning ride on Winfreux in the previous year’s Stradbroke Handicap.

“I was riding for Fred Best and had to stay loyal and I rode Persian King for him,” he said.

“I backed (Winfreux) at 25-1 and he won easily. I also backed mine each way at the same price, so it was a good result when it ran third.

“In the Doomben Cup, he seemed to do it so easily. He had such a huge stride.”

Lister rode regularly at the postage stamp weight of 47kg, but could occasionally get lower if the cause was worth it.

“When I had a good thing I would get down to 45kg,” he said.

“One of them was a horse called Side On that we backed at big odds and got the cash at Randwick. It had been beaten at Newcastle at its previous start. It won a string of races after that.”

Lister formed a formidable combination with trainer Mal Barnes.

“I can’t think of one we produced and backed that didn’t win,” he said.

Lister remembers winning on his last ride at Port Macquarie in the early 1980s.

“It wouldn’t have finished in the first five today,’’ he said. “I had the stick out from the start and had to get stuck into him all the way.’’

Originally published as 82-year-old former jockey to celebrate special milestone at Doomben