Matamata trainer Cody Cole clocked up quite a few kilometres down State Highway One on Tuesday when he took a few of his team down to the Foxton trials.
Cole was in search of better going for a couple of his juveniles and was pleased with what he saw from Atmospheric (NZ) (El Roca) and St Giles (NZ) (Swiss Ace), who won their respective heats, and both will now head for a spell ahead of their three-year-old season.
“We had a wee trip away to get them on a decent surface,” Cole said. “We have got grass trials at Te Awamutu on Thursday, but I would say from the forecast it is going to be heavy and we needed to get a trial into a couple of them before the tracks get too wet, and we wanted to see where they were at. A trip away also grows a lot of young horses up.
“I think Atmospheric is going to be quite a nice three-year-old. He is an immature type that just wants a bit of time and a decent surface. We got a couple of trials into him early, but he wasn’t really comfortable on rain-affected going and I thought we needed to get another trial into him, and the best place for it was down there (Foxton). He will head to the paddock, and he will be a nice three-year-old when he gets over a bit of ground.
“St Giles is a really nice horse, he has come a long way. He has got a bright future wherever he goes, whether he stays here or goes overseas. He is a lovely type and can gallop a bit, and he is doing everything on his first preparation. He is only going to improve when he goes out, has a break and comes back.”
Meanwhile, Cole is looking forward to racing at Pukekohe Park on Saturday where he will be represented by a quartet of runners, including Rareza (NZ) (Exosphere), Kai Moana (NZ) (Sweynesse), Campaldino (NZ) (Ghibellines) and Tianzi (NZ) (Reliable Man).
“Rareza needed her first-up run (when fifth at Te Rapa), which we expected,” Cole said. “She is double nominated and we are unsure where we will run her yet, but I think she will take good improvement from her first-up run at Te Rapa, which had merit, she just came to the end of it late. I think she will be a chance wherever she goes.
“Kai Moana surprised us, I didn’t think she would make that step-up from a rating 60 win midweek to Saturday grade. It took a handy enough horse to get past her at Rotorua. If she continues that form, she will have to be a chance.”
Cole also has high hopes for Campaldino and Tianzi, with the Matamata horseman expecting to see plenty of improvement from the latter after they finished last when first-up over 1400m at Te Rapa last month.
“If the track is not too deep, I think Campaldino is not the worst, but we are a bit unknown on a wet track,” he said.
“Draw a line through Tianzi last start, she didn’t pull up 100 percent after that run. We seem to have got her back to herself, the wet track won’t worry her, she worked super this morning (Tuesday) on the course proper at Matamata, which was pretty testing. She will be the biggest improver of the day.”
