Aimee Tyler scored her first win as a trainer at what may prove to be an historic Winton Cup meeting yesterday.
Kauri Cove broke maiden ranks over 1600m to hand the horsewoman her first win after lining up just nine prior starters.
Tyler went into a training partnership with her father, Kelvin, only days ago.
"I thought it might have taken longer, but it was only a week," she said of the win.
She has the experience of years of working alongside her father in his Riverton stable.
"When dad just started off it was just him and I and we only had a small handful of horses. But as he got bigger [in numbers] I followed him and the stable has grown and grown.
"We are sitting at around 30 horses in work at the moment and there are a few having a wee spell."
Tyler already has a goal in mind for her first season of training. She hopes one of the stable’s 2yr-olds could progress to race in next year’s Karaka Millon at Ellerslie.
North Taieri jockey Corey Campbell won both feature races yesterday.
He rode Irish Excuse to win the 1200m Central Southland Cup and Gold’nguru to win the 2000m Winton Cup.
Campbell may be the last jockey to have his name on both trophies.
Yesterday’s meeting could be the last thoroughbred race meeting at the Winton course if the Government and racing officials act on the Messara report’s recommendation that the venue be closed to the code.
Campbell was able to straighten the slightly wayward Gold’nguru to get the best of the horse to win.
The Leda Beck-trained galloper ran out early in the straight, but once Campbell straightened the horse he reeled in the leader, Banbury Lad, to win.
Irish Excuse relished the heavy track in winning the Central Southland Cup.
Campbell sat the Ellis Winsloe-trained 8yr-old outside the leader, Nightcap, before overhauling her in the straight in the 1200m feature.
It was Irish Excuse’s 13th win and took his stake earnings just short of $200,000.
Winsloe also produced Nomen Ludi to win in rating 65 company over 2000m.
The rejuvenated galloper powered away from his rivals to win by six lengths after being sent to the front before the home turn by rider Jacob Lowry.
