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Kelvin Tyler is looking forward to the Group One challenges that lie in wait for Hayley Maree this season.
The Riverton trainer has overcome several setbacks with the gifted mare, most noticeably a ligament problem and surgery to remove bone chips, but he now believes she is at the peak of her powers.
“I’m really happy with her,” he said. “She’s better now than she has been for the last two years,” Tyler said.
Hayley Maree returned from a lengthy injury break to finish runner-up over 1200m at Timaru and he isn’t worried about the seven-year-old stepping up to 1600m on Saturday in the Gr.3 eStar Winter Cup at Riccarton.
“I’ve got no concerns, she’s a pretty clean-winded mare and she’s been in work since January,” said Tyler, who won the Cup in 2015 with Timy Tyler. “She’s done a lot of miles.”
The winner of five of her 15 starts, Hayley Maree ran fourth in the Gr.1 Captain Cook Stakes behind Julinsky Prince in 2015 and, safely through Riccarton, she will head to Hastings. She holds nominations for both the Gr.1 Windsor Park Plate and the Gr.1 Livamol Classic.
“If she runs well we’ll go up there and have a crack,” Tyler said. “I wouldn’t be worried about anyone when she’s right.”
He will also be represented in the Winter Cup by Lochan Ora, who beat Hayley Maree last time out although that isn’t a result Tyler expects to see again.
“He’s come right and it was good to see him back in form, but he’s not in the same class as the mare. He’s a runner’s chance,” he said. – NZ Racing Desk.