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Important update on 1476AMTyler looking north again after five-win Riverton bag
Dennis Ryan, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk • April 7th, 2026 5:44 pm
Fresh from a five-win bag on his home track's Easter meeting, Riverton trainer Kelvin Tyler is hoping to add Saturday's Hawke's Bay Cup with Freddie Time | Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images)
Fresh from landing a five-win bag at his local meeting on Easter weekend, Riverton trainer Kelvin Tyler is looking north again with Freddie Time set to line up in Saturday’s Listed Hawke’s Bay Cup (2200m) at Ōtaki.
Tyler, Southland’s leading trainer with 31 wins this season, is invariably a force to be reckoned with on home turf. A reminder of that came with three wins on Saturday’s opening card, headed by emerging stable star Better Shared in the Listed Gore Guineas (1200m).
On Monday he added another two wins with stable stalwarts Prince Alby in the open middle-distance and Go Lotte in the Rating 75 1600m.
Both seven-year-olds, who Tyler races in partnership with his wife Vanessa, took their tallies to 11 wins each for combined earnings in excess of $630,000.
“They’re both such good, honest horses,” Tyler said on Tuesday with undisguised admiration. “It takes a bit of doing for any horse to win 11 races and we’ve had a lot of fun with them both.
“Prince Alby is racing much better with a nose band fitted and he might head up to Riccarton for a race like the Canterbury Gold Cup (Gr.3, 2000m).
“Go Lotte isn’t quite up to that (Riccarton) standard, but I should still be able to find a race or two for her closer to home.”
Whereas Prince Alby and Go Lotte were both unplaced on the first day at Riverton before turning their form around, Better Shared was the star of the stable with a winning double.
On the first day she led and clung on bravely to win the Gore Guineas in a photo-finish, and then backed up two days later to race away with the Rating 65 Entain/NZB Pearl Series Bonus Race.
“She’s a different horse after we operated on her for a cyst in her throat and she’s now won all three starts this time in,” said Tyler, who trains the Overshare filly for his brother Allan and his wife Marie, along with her Auckland breeders Rayner and Lynn Bonnington.
“She really had to bottom out to win on Saturday, but that didn’t stop her licking her bin out on Saturday night, and she was so bright come Monday morning there was no reason why we shouldn’t back her up.
“She’s got speed to burn and the way she’s come through the weekend we’re now thinking of taking her up to Riccarton for a Rating 75 1000m on the same day as the Canterbury Gold Cup.”
In the meantime, Tyler is looking forward to making another of his regular trips north, where all the signs are that Freddie Time is ready to add to his record in the Hawke’s Bay Cup.
With the Hastings track still under renovation and necessitating rescheduling to an alternative venue, Tyler is not complaining that Ōtaki will host the meeting.
Freddie Time, who has been stabled with local couple Howie and Lorraine Mathews, has won twice on the track this season as well as winning at Trentham and placing in a number of feature races, most recently for fourth in last month’s Gr.2 Awapuni Gold Cup (2100m).
“He’s had a fantastic season and talking to Howie this morning he’s working as well as aver and is right on target again,” Tyler said.
“Howie and Lorraine just love him and they’ve done great job with him, but this might be his last run up there for now.
“He’s getting up in the weights and will have to carry his share on Saturday, but if he runs well again we might look at the Canterbury Gold Cup with him too.”
