Aberlour destined for higher honours after Southland Guineas win
"She seems to be getting better and better . . . she beat some good horses today."
Jamie Searle is a long-time Southland racing writer. For more of his work checkout the Southland Thoroughbreds Facebook page.
Mixed feelings ran through Kelvin Tyler as Saturday's $120,000 ILT Ascot Park Hotel Southland Guineas unfolded.
The Riverton trainer saddled up the favourite, Aberlour, who jumped straight to the lead from barrier rise. However, his other runner in the race, Lady Sass, stood in the starting gatesĀ and took no part.
With one of his horses out of contention, Tyler's hopes of winning Southland's richest horse race rested on Aberlour and she didn't let him down.
Aberlour kept up a strong gallop in front to win by five and a-half lengths. The victory completed a winning double for her in the Gore and Southland Guineas.
Tyler and winning jockey Kylie Williams won the same two races with Lightning Jack in 2020.
"She seems to be getting better and better . . . she beat some good horses today," Tyler said ofĀ Aberlour.
"She's got a really high cruising speed and likes to be in front - that's her happyĀ spot."
It was Williams' third Southland Guineas win following on from Lightning Jack and Waikato-trained Global Thinking (2018),
"You've got to let her do her own thing . . . as long as she's happy and in a good rhythm," Williams said of Aberlour.
"She's got such a high cruisingĀ speed and got that high turn of foot when you ask for it"Ā
Williams has a soft spot for Ascot Park as the track was the venue for her first win. She rode Kwik Silver to win the Mossburn Hotel/David Manning & Associates Maiden at theĀ Birchwood Hunt Club's race meeting at Ascot Park in March,1997.
Meanwhile, Invercargill trainer Lisa Vaughan trained her third InvercargillĀ Gold Cup winner when Lochnaberry won the $60,000 stayers' race sponsored by Baillie & Lewis Pharmacy,Ā of Invercargill.
Vaughan won the Cup in 2022 (Asathought) and 2014 (Our Bee Jay).Ā
She owns Lochnaberry with her partner Simon Culhane, her son, Jesse Vaughan, Simon's son, Benji Culhane, G J Gardner Homes Christchurch South franchise holders Neil and Jo Fraser, G J Gardner Homes North franchise holder Mike Fraser and Bryan Dunlop, of Christchurch.
Lisa and Simon are the G J Gardner Homes Southland franchise holders.
Benji was unable to be at Ascot Park as he is a university student in Dunedin and was playing club cricket. However, he did see the last half of the race on his mobile phone.
āHe just got battered out [came off] turned the app on his phone on and saw the last 1200m of the race,ā Lisa said of Benji.
Ā Lochnaberry came into the home straight improving wide outĀ in second place and quickly reeled in leader Shockallia and dashed away to score by three lengths.
Winning jockey Bailey Rogerson, from the Waikato, has been aboard Lochnaberry in three of her four wins.
"She jumped well and put herself right there today," Rogerson said.
"We got a good trip, got out and rolling. I knew at the top of the straight she was going to be hard to pin down."
