Lisa Cole tops Australasian 2025 stakes table
Peter Fenemor • January 8th, 2026 10:46 AM • 4 min read
The powerful Lisa Cole, Palmerston North based kennels, topped the stake money list for Australasian greyhound trainers for the 2025 calendar year.
The Cole team completed the year with greyhounds mentored by the family operated kennels, generating an outstanding $2,913,766 in stake earnings.
It is a remarkable figure considering the standard Australian race stake levels are considerably higher than New Zealand levels, coupled with the massive money that can be won in Australian Group races, which includes $1million to-the-winner races.
And it isn’t the first time that the Cole kennels have topped the Australasian stakes toral as Brendon Cole informs us, “We finished on top in 2024 and we have been the leading stakes earning kennels on at least four other occasions.
“It is mine boggling the number of greyhounds we raced to make it to the top during the year. It’s consistency with our ratio of runners to winners, with most of our greyhounds being homebred, that enabled us to top the table.
“Sure, there are many high-class Australian trainers, like Jason Thompson who with small numbers consistently picks up Group races with his elite team of greyhounds.”
The highest stake earning Australian trainer was the Victoria based Thomas Daily who finished with $2,860,223 in stakes.
Queensland conditioner Tommy Tzouvelis completed the year with $2,479,345, while leading Black-type Victorian mentor Jason Thompson oversaw his potent team winning $2,456,325 in stakes.
It has been a Cole family training effort with husband Brendon, along with daughters Ella and Georgia, plus sons Sam, Monty and Max all involved in the huge training operation during the year.
Cole’s race day handlers were required to salute the judge with race winners on 705 occasions during 2025, also the leading Australasian number by wins.
“Yes, all of our family pitched in during the year including Ella before her move to Australia. We also had great support from our hard-working staff. We really appreciate the race day support we get from handlers who help us out on race days,” acknowledged Cole.
Other Kiwi based trainers to feature highly on the 2025 Australasian stakes table included Johnathon McInerney who finished fifth with stake earnings amounting to $2,089,400.
Canterbury conditioners featured prominently on the table with leading strike rate conditioners Dave Fahey and Katie Wyllie landing eighth placed with their $1,504,330 total.
Garry Cleeve was 21st on $857,132, followed by the 23rd placed Craig Roberts with $813,718.
Leading northern trainers Lisa and Tracey Craik was 28th with their team accumulating $677,230 in stake earnings.
Auckland Cup preparations heating up
Fine tuning for the January 25 Auckland Cup meeting is ramping up with the nation’s leading trainer Lisa Cole traveling north on Sunday with a team to familiarize a number of contenders with the Manukau track.
The Cole kennels will be chasing their eighth Auckland Cup title in three weeks’ time after having applied the finishing touches to three of the last four Auckland Cup winners.
The recent Hatrick 520m Group 1 winner Johnny Football is on a current 12 race winning streak. He lines up in the Mt. Wellington TAB Stakes (Race 8), and he returns to the Auckland headquarters with his field best 30.06 527m time.
“Johnny goes back to Manukau in solid current form. His Sunday race will come down to the first turn passage he gets. He can finish over the top of the others,” informed Brendon Cole.
Kennelmates Pure Precision and Lulu’s Dream are making their track debut appearances. Both are half-sisters to the retired outstanding chaser He’s All Go and they have inherited the family talents.
Both bring sound form north with Pure Precision winning over 520m (30.14) at Hatrick last Friday. Lulu’s Dream finished a half-length third to her sister.
“The sisters are exciting young talent. They are still improving and the trip to Manukau will assist in their development,” advised Cole.
The talented sprinters Mojito Dream and Blitz Attack are also having their first look at the Manukau track in the Bon Voyage Rhian Farrell (Race 9) 318m sprint, having secured the inside 2 and 3 traps.
Their clash against the leading northern trained sprinters will be a meeting highlight as the straight-out speed merchants complete their preparations for next Sunday’s Group 1 318m Railway Sprint heats.
“Both of our sprinters are handy young greyhounds, who can deliver explosive sprints. I believe the Manukau 318m sprint will be perfect for Blitz Attack, who has unbelievable pace,” added Cole about the classy sprinters from the kennel that have won three previous editions of the Railway Sprint.
