South Otago Cup fresh-up for Tyler duo
Riverton trainer Kelvin Tyler will bookend Thursday’s PGG Wrightson Real Estate South Otago Cup (1400m) field at Wingatui with What’s Up Alf and Timy Tyler, and he thinks both horses will be competitive fresh-up.
Road to Rock seven-year-old What’s Up Alf, who has drawn the ace barrier, has been in good form over winter, securing a handful of placings and adding victory in the Gold Club Premier (1800m) at Riccarton last month to his five win career haul.
What’s Up Alf was tipped out for a freshen-up after his last-start runner-up performance over 2000m at Riccarton last month and Tyler has set a course for next month’s Winton Cup (2000m) with the gelding.
“He’s been going really well. He’s had a bit of a freshen-up since Riccarton so comes back in distance,” Tyler said. “He’s just having a bit of a run really to see where he is at.
“He had ten days off after his last run and he’s freshened up quite nicely. He normally goes reasonably well fresh and he comes in well at the weights (54kg), so I’m pretty happy with him. I’m pretty sure he will go a good race.
“The next target with him will be the Winton Cup in five weeks. He’ll have one more run before then, he’ll go down to Gore on September 28 and run over 1800m before heading into the Winton Cup.”
Tyler’s other runner in the race, Timy Tyler, is also returning from a freshen-up, but will need some luck from his outside barrier in the seven horse field.
The No Excuse Needed gelding hasn’t experienced the same success of late as his stablemate, but his trainer was pleased with his unplaced run in the Group 3 Winter Cup (1600m) two starts back.
“I didn’t think he went a bad race in the Winter Cup,” Tyler said.
“Just a few things went against him there and I probably should have stepped him up over 1800m in his last start, but I put him back to 1400m. He’s freshened up nice and I can’t fault his work.”