Cody Cole collected his second quinella in a matter of days in the Central Districts on Wednesday, with Rareza (NZ) (Exosphere) and debutant Andantino saluting at the Woodville meeting.
The Matamata horseman took a pair of runners to Wanganui last Sunday in The Nomad (NZ) (Mongolian Khan) and St Giles (NZ) (Swiss Ace), both of whom took out their respective races. His two representatives at the midweek meeting repeated the dose, headed by resuming talent Rareza.
The daughter of Exosphere had just seven starts under her belt prior to the Speldhurst Mates (1200m), including a last-start success back in November where she struck a similar surface to the conditions on Wednesday.
Starting a $3 favourite, Rareza jumped alongside one of her main rivals in Sinbin (NZ) (Derryn), while Gohugo (NZ) (Per Incanto) took up the pacemaking role. The mare hit clear air early in the straight and had to find plenty in the testing conditions, but she did just that, holding off Sinbin to win by a nose.
“She was super. For a midweek (rating) 75 it was a strong enough field,” Cole said.
“She had a little setback a couple of weeks ago and missed a bit work, so she was in need of the run and we thought we would kick her off soft. She was in that rating bracket where she can afford to get a few points and still have another crack at 75, then maybe raise our sights to something else.
“We’ll just get her home, see how she comes through it and look through the programme for where we’re likely to head with her. She’s progressive, she’s still doing it on ability and hitting the front and waiting for them a little bit too.
“Maybe the addition of some gear will help her at some stage, to get a bit more out of her.”
Rareza was guided by in-form apprentice Triston Moodley, who earlier in the day rode her stablemate Andantino to victory in the Property Brokers Pahiatua/Woodville (1100m).
Having appeared at the trials back in January, Andantino came into the race as favourite ahead of Casino (NZ) (Savabeel), and it would be the two first starts that would fight out the finish in a competitive three-year-old maiden. Casino made a good account of herself, but she was unable to pick up the gelding, who kicked clear to score by half a length.
Cole had been cautiously confident coming into the race and was rapt with the son of Castelvecchio.
“It’s been a fair while since he trialled so you’re always a bit reserved there, but he’s shown us plenty of ability and worked well leading into it,” he said. “He’s got upside, he’s got potential there.
“He’s one of those horses with good gate speed and can get up on speed, he’d drawn a bit sticky but that didn’t really worry us too much. It was fortunate that the rain didn’t come any earlier because I don’t know whether he would’ve copped it too much wetter than it was.
“We’ll just hopefully find a track that is just in that soft range or thereabouts to get another run into him, then he’ll head to the paddock and look towards next year.”
Bred by GSA Bloodstock, Andantino was a $50,000 purchase by Cole at Karaka when presented from the draft of Ralph Thoroughbreds.
Back in the north, it was a rewarding sight for Cole to see his Group Three-performing mare Oneira (NZ) (Contributer) back at the trials on Tuesday.
As a three-year-old, Oneira placed in a Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m), but due to a variety of reasons, has only had four starts since that race in October 2023.
“She had one run in the spring where she got back and it just wasn’t her pattern,” Cole said. “She’s not comfortable getting in amongst them in her races and it was a bit of a nothing race.
“She then had an injury, so she’s been out over the summer, and I’ve just brought her back up quietly. She’s developed into a nice, rounded mare, she was always a little bit light and lean.
“Her trial was good, she was still pretty burly in condition yesterday so that will tighten her up a lot.
“She’s stakes placed and we haven’t had many runs with her after that, so it’ll be nice to get a nice prep into her in the early winter then come back in the spring. She likes those off tracks, so we’ll find a race for her over the next few weeks to kick off.”
In the meantime, Cole will have a quartet of runners heading to Te Rapa on Saturday, including another promising debutant in Atkins (NZ) (Savabeel) contesting the SkyCity Hamilton 1200.
The Savabeel four-year-old has been a work in progress for Cole but impressed with a flashing trial at Ellerslie in early April.
“She’s going to improve a lot from the experience, she’s a nice mare that has taken a lot of time and management to get her there in one piece,” he said.
“We’ve really seen the best of her in her last two trials, they’ve both been good especially the last one where she sat back and picked them up pretty effortlessly under a soft ride.
“Craig (Grylls) quite likes her and sticks with her on Saturday, so she’s definitely one to look forward too.”
Speedy filly Power Of Three will be back up to her winning distance in the MetalCo 1200, after being run down late by Albarossa at Trentham last time out.
“In hindsight, it probably wasn’t the track to take her to, she’s got quite a short sprint and she hit the front quite quickly there,” Cole said. “It’s a long way to get run down and she was fresh-up and probably needed the run late.
“She will be suited to a turning track where she’s not exposed so early.”
