Renovations blazing a trail to Gold

[Wandering Eyes]

Juvenile filly Renovations has already achieved a lot in a short space of time and trainer Cody Cole is excited to see what she can do as a three-year-old.

The daughter of Ardrossan attained black-type at Te Rapa last Saturday when she was runner-up in the Listed Waikato Equine Veterinary Centre 2YO Stakes (1400m) behind fellow Waikato Stud-bred Super Photon.

The result extended her record to a win and two placings from four starts since making her debut in February, and Cole believes there is plenty to look forward to with the filly raced by Social Racing.

“She has come through it (Saturday’s run) super,” Cole said. “We were jumping from 1100m up to 1400m, so she probably overdid it a little bit early, and it might have taken away from her finish, but she fought on very bravely and she ran into a smart colt (Super Photon) there.

“She has shown good improvement. We have always had an opinion of her otherwise we wouldn’t have put her in the (Matamata) Breeders’ (Gr.2, 1200m). She probably wasn’t quite ready for it but since then she has figured it out a bit more mentally and switched on for what she is there for. Her last two runs have been very encouraging.”

The spelling paddock now beckons Renovations, with plenty of stakes assignments in the offing in spring, including the Gr.3 Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings in September.

“She will go to the paddock and then we will just look towards the Gold Trail in the spring,” Cole said.

“Being out of a Zabeel mare, and she is a good physical type now, I think she is going to improve again into her three-year-old year. We will let her get over this preparation and she will come back a better horse.”

Meanwhile, Cole is looking forward to taking a trio of his stable runners to his home meeting at Matamata on Wednesday.

Both Secret Life and Ladylou were runner-up in their first-up assignments last month, and will aim to go one better in the Fairview Motors Matamata 1600 and Entain/NZB Isurance Pearl Series (1400m) respectively.

“They both put up great runs fresh-up,” he said. “Unfortunately, they have both drawn pretty wide, which is going to make it a tough ask on Gryllsy (Craig Grylls, jockey). If they get a bit of luck from those draws, it wouldn’t surprise me if either of them won.”

Recent stable acquisition Shoot The Breeze is set to make her debut when she joins Ladylou in her contest.

“It will be a kick-off point and a fitness run,” he said. “She looks to have a bit of ability from her trial, and she has worked well enough.”

Looking ahead to the weekend, Cole is set to take a number of runners to Arawa Park on Saturday, including Iffshecan in the Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m).

The five-year-old mare was fourth when first-up over 1200m at Wanganui last month, and Cole is hoping her fondness for the Rotorua track is in her favour this weekend.

“Iffshecan is probably going to have a throw at the stumps in the weight-for-age fillies and mares race,” Cole said. “She has got a good track record at Rotorua, but weight-for-age is probably not good placement for her. But it’s just a track that she has raced well at and if she is going to run 1400m I think the time is now. She hit the line well at Wanganui with a fair bit of improvement in her yet too.”

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