If everything had gone to plan, La Verite would be an unraced broodmare in China by now.
But after a series of events she ended up with Matamata trainer Cody Cole and as a five-year-old she's starting to make up for lost time quickly on the racetrack.
La Verite is set to make her second raceday start at Matamata on Saturday in the CW Cole Racing 1050, a Rating 65 event sponsored by her trainer, and she is likely to be very well supported.
She didn't make her debut until earlier this month at Ruakaka, but she was a hot favourite after two easy trial victories and lived up to the odds with a four-length victory in the hands of Ryan Elliot.
Horses don't usually make stunning debuts at five but Cole said it was nothing to do with injury or lack of maturity.
“She was meant to go on a shipment to China to be a broodmare, but after that fell through and none of those mares left, she went on Gavelhouse and an owner of mine purchased her off there,” Cole said.
“Then his circumstances changed and he got out of his racehorses and another couple of my good owners, Brian Broom and Justine Sclater, purchased her and wanted to leave her with me, which was really good of them because she'd already shown us quite a lot of ability in jumpouts.”
Cole had broken La Verite in as a four-year-old, and she had already shown ability in jumpouts, hence his happiness when Broom and Sclater decided to leave the mare with him.
“This is only really her second preparation,” Cole said. “It's just circumstances why she's a five-year-old having her second start.”
Cole, who has been training since 2016, said La Verite was the most exciting galloper he's sat on.
“Everything's pretty easy for her. She's still lacking a lot of racecraft and having drawn one on Saturday is probably not ideal for her, but Ryan knows her and he'll figure it out from there,” Cole said.
“Ability won't be the question on Saturday, it will be whether she knows enough about the game.”
Cole said La Verite would probably have just one more race this preparation after Saturday's contest before having a break and returning in autumn.
Cole's only other scheduled runner at Matamata is Cadeau in a Rating 75 1200m event, but she is fourth on the ballot and may have to wait a couple of weeks until a similar race at Tauranga before starting.
“She was luckless last start and got boxed up. She's a better mare than that,” he said.
Prior to that, Cole will start his four-year-old Incubo in a 1400m maiden at Rotorua on Thursday.
“He's better than his form indicates. He's started holding his breath in the running at the end of last preparation,” he said.
“We've had it happen to us before and we've made gear changes that have done the job, so we've done the same thing with him. He's had a couple of quiet trials and if he actually breathes, he's a chance of being thereabouts on his ability.”
Cole is coming off his best season to date as a trainer, having had 17 wins in 2021-22, and he's made a good start this campaign with six victories in 21 starts.
His most proven galloper is the dual winner Aquaoir, who finished second fresh-up over 1400m at Rotorua on October 16.
“She's obviously a stayer and we're looking at getting her out over 2000m and targeting some cups races this term,” Cole said.
Other horses he likes are In Extasy, who hasn't run since winning on debut at Rotorua on April 29, and an unraced El Roca-Joiya gelding who's been to the trials twice for a victory and a third placing.
“He's probably a preparation away but we're looking to get him to the races in the next couple of weeks and we think he's got a bright future.”
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