Lochan Ora too classy
KELVIN Tyler is not the bignoting type but even he is struggling to muzzle himself from hyping up Lochan Ora.
The lightly tried four-year-old put his Winter Cup rivals on notice with a two and a half length win, that could not have been more impressive, in the Greenwood Amberley Cup on a heavy 10 at Riccarton yesterday.
Tyler won the race last year with Timy Tyler, who went on to win the $100,000 Winter Cup.
Yesterday’s win was Lochan Ora’s third in a row and his sixth from his last seven starts but his first attempt at an open handicap.
He won his maiden race in March and Tyler puts the success of his current preparation down to maturity and the addition of the blinkers just before his maiden win.
The Riverton trainer was not keen to make comparisons to Timy Tyler, who will be back to defend his Winter Cup crown on August 6 but concedes Lochan Ora could be good enough to match his stablemate’s cup double if things go his way.
‘‘I guess the way he’s been going you can’t fault him. All he has been doing is winning and winning by four or five lengths every time,’’ Tyler said. ‘‘First time in open class there was always going to be a question mark but he didn’t just win did he?’’
Meanwhile, Southland visitor Bruce Tapper is already planning another long trek up to Riccarton with evergreen sprinter The Knight.
The rising nine-year-old was an upset winner in a $30,000 sprint yesterday at $21 on the tote.
‘‘I couldn’t believe he was the second outsider,’’ Tapper said.
Tapper, who trains at Otautau in Southland, plans to contest a RACE IMAGES $40,000 open handicap over 1200m on the opening day of the Grand National Carnival.
The Knight beat a handy field in Winton at his last start on May 15 and Tapper hinted at a similar break, meaning he is unlikely to start before Riccarton.
Win eight of The Knight’s career took his earnings past the $150,000 mark.
Tapper races The Knight with Shirin Wood and her late husband Kevin, who moved the horse to Tapper’s stable from John Bary in early 2014 for a change of scenery when his form flat-lined.
The Knight has been a consistent sprinter in the South Island but with 96 points before yesterday’s win, Tapper is concerned about weight.
‘‘That’s the problem, he’s an eight-year-old but he’s still got a lot of weight to carry,’’ Tapper said.
Courtney Barnes achieved a significant milestone with the 100th win of her career when she got outsider Toetwotoe home for Tarsha and Michael Stokes.