Cody Cole made a winning start to his season earlier this week at Matamata, a trend he hopes to continue with a strong team heading down to Hastings on Saturday.

Evelyn Rush was the local stable’s first runner for the new term, and on debut, was a convincing winner in the Waharoa Transport Co. (1995) LTD 1200 at the Wednesday meeting.

“She drew a nice gate and Craig (Grylls) gave her a super ride, I thought she may need the experience a little bit but it didn’t turn out that way,” Cole said.

“She’d been working well leading into it, so it was nice to get a win for a lovely lady, her owner Pam Holden.”

Leading Cole’s representation at Hastings will be promising filly Renovations, a juvenile winner who completed her two-year-old season with a second placing behind Super Photon in the Listed 2YO Stakes (1400m) at Te Rapa in May.

She appeared in a strong trial last month, which included Alabama Lass and Archaic Smile, who will both be among her rivals in the Gr.3 HBPB Thoroughbred Breeders’ Gold Trail Stakes (1200m).

“We’re happy with her, her trial to the eye probably didn’t look that good, but when the track gets really deep she’s just not that effective on it,” Cole said.

“Every time we’ve galloped on a decent surface, she’s worked super, so we’ve just got to draw our confidence from that rather than a heavy track trial.”

Like much of Saturday’s field, the Ardrossan filly has been nominated for the Gr.1 Barneswood Farm New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m) in November, a distance Cole believes is within her range.

“There’s plenty of fillies races and we know she can run out 1400m, so I don’t think a mile will be beyond her as a three-year-old,” he said.

“Whether she’s going to get any further than that, I’m not sure, but she’s going to tell us where she wants to go and we’ll know a bit more after Saturday.”

The Vet Services Equine Hawke’s Bay Premier (1200m) will feature Navigator, a consistent galloper who produced a winning performance on the final day of the Hawke’s Bay carnival last season.

“He’s fresh-up with no trials as we did last year, we’ve kept him at 1200 this time around and left the blinkers on,” Cole said.

“He likes the Bay, he’s been working well and he’s a progressive horse. We hope for a bold showing, but you’ve always got to err on the side of caution when they haven’t been to the trials.

““If we’ve got him where I think he is, he’ll run a race with a nice cosy gate, we just hope what we’ve done at home will be enough.”

Kind Thoughts has also impressed in her brief career to date, finishing in the top two at four of her five appearances, and will make a fresh start in the Remember ‘Jooky’ Premier (1400m).

“She’s always been a lovely mare, she’s just taken a bit of time and we’re not going to see the best of her until she gets over 2000m,” Cole said.

“She’s putting together a good record and it’s nice to kick her off on a Good track, she’s still got a bit of improvement to come in her coat but I think if she carries on like she has, we’ll be in for a good season with her.”

Completing the quartet is Carajillo, a four-year-old mare twice placed in her only two starts last term.

She will line-up under Sam Weatherley in the NZB Ready To Run Trainers Series Premier (1200m), under MAAT conditions.

“I looked at the field at Matamata and thought this race may come up slightly softer, and it’s not overly strong for the stake money,” Cole said.

“She trialled well although she probably needed it fitness-wise, she’s followed a similar path to Evelyn Rush and going every bit as well so there’s no reason why she couldn’t be competitive in a race like this.”