Cole hoping for his turn at a big prize
Dennis Ryan - Raceform • February 28th, 2025 1:30 PM
Big prizes have mostly eluded Cody Cole in his nine years as one of the country’s up-and-coming trainers, but he’s hoping a breakthrough might come on his track this weekend in the $350,000 Comag Wairere Falls Classic.
Cole will saddle up his stable star Navigator in the richest event ever programmed by the Matamata Racing Club after the 1500m innovation race was transferred from its inaugural running at Ellerslie.
Last March it was named the Rangitoto Classic after the volcanic island dominating the Waitemata Harbour skyline, and it has been renamed in recognition of the spectacular waterfall north-east of Matamata in the Kaimai Ranges, which at 153m is the North Island’s highest.
Open to horses prepared by those trainers outside the country’s top 10 stake-earning stables, the Wairere Falls Classic has attracted a quality field headed by the Shaun and Emma Clotworthy-trained Malt Time in what is expected to be her final race.
El Roca gelding Navigator has a rating of 95, eight points below Malt Time and earned mostly by placings rather than his four wins from 14 starts. After a Rating 75 double in his final start last season and the first of his five-year-old campaign, he finished second, splitting Luberon and Waitak, in the Gr. 3 Sweynesse Stakes at Rotorua in October.
He then finished third to Wild Night and La Crique in an open sprint at Tauranga, which was followed by a career-high performance for third to Grail Seeker and Sacred Satono in the Gr. 1 Telegraph at Trentham.
Those placings are somewhat typical of Cole’s past couple of seasons, even allowing that less than 10 years since taking out his licence, the son of former successful trainer Tony Cole has managed top-20 premiership positions this season and last.
His 25 wins in 2023-24 were complemented by no less than 49 second and third placings, while alongside his current tally of 16 wins are another 46 minor placings.
“It’s turned out to be another season of placings, an okay number of wins but a lot more of the other,” the former champion weightlifter says with nonchalance rather than disappointment. “It can become frustrating if you let it get it to you, but I prefer to look at it differently.
“At least when they’re getting amongst it, maybe not having the rub of the green or meeting something just a bit better, but I can accept that.”
With a view at his shot at a big prize on Saturday, Cole is confident he has the horse that can deliver. That includes putting a line through Navigator’s last-start disappointment in the Gr. 1 BCD Group Sprint at Te Rapa, when a tardy start undermined any pre-race plans.
“He put his head down at just the wrong time and that was game over. If he can get it right at the jump he should get his chance.
“I’m going into the race knowing it won’t be easy as it’s a very good field, which is great to see for the club and everyone involved. It’s wicked to have a race like this on our doorstep.
“It’s 1500m this time, which is as far as he’s ever run, but I’ll be taking the blinkers off and putting the shadow roll on, which should help. Troy Harris rides him in all his work and he tells me he’s spot-on for Saturday.”
Cole will have three other runners on his home track – Atmospheric in the Rating 65 1400 and maidens St Giles and Dudady – and next day he’ll be at Trentham to saddle up Carajillo, Latrelle and Argyle.
Picture at the Top of the Page: Navigator gives Cody Cole a great chance to snare a big prize in Saturday’s $350,000 Comag Wairere Falls Classic. Photo: Supplied
