Paddock pick working out nicely

[Wandering Eyes]

Promising youngster Renovations is further vindication of Cody Cole’s eye for young thoroughbred talent.

The Waikato Stud-bred filly is a daughter of their resident sire Ardrossan and she’s made an encouraging start to her career for the Matamata trainer.

Renovations finished runner-up, albeit a distant one behind the flying Alabama Lass, on debut before a respectable sixth in the Gr.2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes (1200m).

She dropped back in class on Sunday to gain a confidence-boosting runaway success in the Five Stags Leamington 2YO (1100m) at Te Rapa, which might prove to be the springboard back to black-type company.

The Renovations story had its beginning last year when Cole accepted an invite from Waikato Stud to view available young stock.

“They said to me that they had a few fillies they wanted to maintain ownership of, but wanted to lease out,” Cole said.

“I went over there about 10 months ago, it was a good opportunity for us and there were three to choose from.

“I looked at her (Renovations) and she looked like a readymade racehorse. She’d obviously never had a sales prep, so we leased her and Social Racing took half.

“Some of my stable clients and a few newbies came on board and it’s a good group of people who have had a quick return on their investment. They’re having a lot of fun.”

The Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre Stakes (1400m) back at Te Rapa on May 4 now looms as an ideal option for the filly.

“She’s thriving and is nice and sound, so we’ll definitely be keeping that race in mind for her,” Cole said.

“She really wants to be a three-year-old, she’s out of a Zabeel mare, and Hawke’s Bay in the spring has got a flashing red light for her.”

In her latest appearance, Renovations worked her way to the front and showed sharp acceleration under rider Matthew Cameron in the straight to romp home by three and a-half lengths.

“We were expecting a pretty good run, she had been working well with older horses and we didn’t put her in the Matamata Breeders for no reason and it was just that she didn’t quite have the ringcraft for that,” Cole said.

Renovations is a half-sister to six-time winner Shoshone with their dam the Zabeel mare Dee I Why who is currently in foal to Banquo.

Young stallion Ardrossan was credited with a winning double later on the Te Rapa program when Cindee downed a competitive three-year-old line-up over 1200 metres.

Trained by race sponsor Allan Sharrock, the filly settled off the pace before unwinding powerfully in Craig Grylls’ hands for her third victory from four attempts.

She is raced by a syndicate managed by breeder Nick Bolton and is out of the Pins mare Music, who is from the family of Group 1 winners Final Destination and Irish Fling.

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