A sterling field has assembled for Saturday’s Listed Trevor and Coralie Eagle Uncle Remus Stakes (1400m) and Cody Cole is looking forward to testing his promising three-year-old Atmospheric (NZ) (El Roca) against some of the best in the country.
The son of El Roca has been lightly-tried by Cole, with just four starts resulting in a win and three minor placings. After scoring his maiden at Tauranga in January, Atmospheric was bold against the older horses at New Plymouth, finishing a head adrift of One Bold Gigolo.
“His run at Taranaki was full of merit, there was quite an on-speed bias that day and he got a bit of a bump on the bending, losing his momentum,” Cole said. “He really wound up late.
“When he backed up his good win at Tauranga with another nice run, I thought why not have a crack. We opted to keep him at those shorter trips, he could’ve followed a path to go over ground in those couple of races after the Derby, but I just feel that he’s a little too immature to cope with that sort of mileage yet.
“He’s that kind of horse that you can do anything with, he could switch off and run a trip if you want to, but I think we’re better to look ahead at the four-year-old year for that.
“If he can be competitive there, we’ll keep him there for now.”
Cole will apply blinkers on Atmospheric for the $110,000 contest, which features four confirmed slot holders for the $3.5 million NZB Kiwi (1500m), with plenty chasing one of the remaining spots in the big race.
“It’s a very strong race and he’s drawn an absolute horror gate (12 of 12), but you’re only three once and he’s an improving type,” Cole said. “He’ll be better next year, but he deserves a shot at them.”
Atmospheric will be Cole’s sole representative at Ellerslie, while two of his runners in Bradley (NZ) (Belardo) and Mapalicious (NZ) (Puccini) will travel south to Otaki.
Bradley is chasing a breakthrough victory in the Harcourts Otaki Maiden (1600m), while Mapalicious is searching for better fortune than in her most recent appearance in the Aquashield Roofing Handicap (1600m).
“Bradley had a fresh-up run the other day and got back in an awkward spot, then he came down the outside in the firmest part of the track which he didn’t really appreciate,” Cole said.
“There is a little bit of rain around at Otaki and it won’t be anywhere near as firm as it was at Te Rapa, which will suit him. It’s a race that possibly lacks a bit of depth and he deserves to be where he is in the market down there.
“Mapalicious was in a really niggly run race last-start where the breaks were on and off, Gryllsy (Craig Grylls) had her in a lovely spot then she just got shuffled back to last at the top of the straight and by the time she’d crossed heels and got out, the race was over.
“She’s better than that and doesn’t often run a bad one, I had no criticism of her performance there, it was just the way the race panned out.”
Looking ahead to Champions Day in a fortnight, Cole will return to Ellerslie with his consistent juvenile Landlock to take on the Gr.1 Sistema Stakes (1200m).
The son of Merchant Navy won on debut and was a narrow second in the Gr.2 Wakefield Challenge Stakes (1100m), but it was his game fifth-placed effort in the $1 million Karaka Millions 2YO (1200m) that stood out for Cole.
“I was really proud of the horse, he’s had four runs, never had a trial and drew an awful gate (13) in the Millions, but when Rory (Hutchings, jockey) got off, he was very complementary of him,” Cole said.
“He said he just gives you 100 percent and he wished I could feel the feeling he gives you, he was all out in the last 100m and his head was getting lower and lower, but he just kept giving his all. He’s just a genuine little racehorse.
“He had a couple of weeks in the paddock post-race and he’s back to it again now, he’ll look to head to the Sistema and on to the Sires (Gr.1, 1400m) after that.”