Race favourite Prince Alby carried the hopes of the locals in Saturday’s Kennedy Building Riverton Cup (2147m), and he didn’t let anyone down as he ground out a terrific victory in the feature event on the day.
Prepared on the track by Kelvin Tyler, the five-year-old gelding rounded out his preparation for the contest with a narrow victory over 1500m at Wingatui a fortnight earlier.
Tyler has made no secret of his admiration for the son of Scared Falls, and his charge looked the winner a long way out as he glided around the outer for rider Terry Moseley approaching the home turn, before taking control out wide shortly after.
Chased hard by Astradeel, Prince Alby never shirked his task as he maintained a length margin to the winning post with gallant pacemaker The Tui Toiler fighting bravely to hold third.
Tyler, who purchased his charge for just $3,000 from the Mapperley Stud draft during Book 3 at Karaka in 2020, was full of praise for the effort on the testing Heavy10 surface.
"The way he went today is his best style, and we would have been disappointed if he hadn't performed as his work has been so good this week," Tyler said.
"He loves the big roomy track here and with some cut in the ground he got everything to suit.
"He did it well even though it got a bit tight towards the end, but when he is on his game, he is pretty hard to get past.
"This is the third time we have won this race and with the family and a big group of supporters here today it is very special."
Tyler is keen to take on northern rivals at the gelding's next start as opposed to one of the middle-distance features coming up at Riccarton.
"The way that Riccarton track has been lately it would be too firm for him," he said.
"I'm pretty keen to send him north to Otaki for a race there on the 13th of April (Listed Hawke's Bay Cup 2200m), so as long as he pulls up well then I think that is what we will do."
Bred by Rosemont Stud, Prince Alby is a son of the Black Minnaloushe mare Oya and has now won seven of his 27 starts and over $209,000 in prizemoney for Tyler and his wife Vanessa who own him.
