Timaru trainers Mel and Warwick Coles are taking two horses down to Ascot Park’s Friday meeting and they are hoping they can come home with a quinella.
Chokito (NZ) (Vespa) and Button (NZ) (Ego) will contest the Welcome Back To Southern Racing (760m) and both fillies are thriving according to their trainers.
Two-year-old filly Chokito had been in fine form prior to lockdown and her connections are hoping she can pick-up where she left off on Friday.
The daughter of Vespa had won two of her five starts, and placed in two others, with her only unplaced run coming in the Listed Welcome Stakes (1000m) in November.
“She ran sixth in the Welcome Stakes and she went very well,” Mel Coles said. “She went very close in her two runner-up performances as well.”
Coles has been pleased with the way she has returned and his only concern heading into Friday is how she will handle the Heavy10 track.
“I am happy with her heading into Friday,” he said. “She has come back really well, she is a great eater and does everything right.
“She has drawn barrier three, which will suit her. I am not too sure how she will handle a heavy track, but I can’t see why she won’t.”
Coles has big aspirations with Chokito this spring, culminating with a tilt at the Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton in November.
“After this race we will go to Riccarton with Chokito. There is a two-year-old race up there on the 25th (of July),” Coles said.
“I’m looking forward to the spring with her, I’d like to think that she would go well in the Guineas.”
Chokito will be joined in Friday’s race by stablemate Button who impressed Coles with her first-up runner-up performance at Riccarton last month.
“It was a very good first-up run, she was just unlucky, there was only a pencil mark in it at the end.
“Button will handle the heavy going alright and there is no reason why they shouldn’t be first and second on Friday.”
