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📻 IMPORTANT AUCKLAND UPDATE 📻
Bright future tipped for Miss Jones
Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk • January 4th, 2026 1:30 pm
Miss Jones winning at Trentham on Saturday. Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images)
Miss Jones showed plenty of promise in Australia, placing in six of her 10 starts for trainers Richard and Will Freedman, but she has found her groove since crossing the Tasman.
The daughter of Deep Field broke through for her maiden win when victorious in her New Zealand debut for new trainer Cody Cole at Ellerslie last month and doubled her tally at Trentham on Saturday when taking out the Listen Live On Sportnation.co.nz Maiden Sprint (1200m).
From her outside draw in the seven-horse field, she was taken forward by jockey Opie Bosson to sit outside pacemaker Falcrests Belle and she raced kindly for the in-form hoop. When he asked her to improve when entering the home straight she quickly responded and ran away to a 2-1/2 length victory over the previously unbeaten Thorax.
“She was a little angel,” Bosson said. “She jumped well and just took our time getting across and once we got there she travelled beautifully and gave me a really good kick when I asked the question.
“She gives you the feel that she has got some gears there. I know it has taken her a while to win a race, but I think she is putting it all together now.”
Cole was confident of another bold showing on Saturday and believes she has a bright future if she continues on her current trajectory.
“She was good. Opie has got a lovely set of hands and I think she appreciated that,” he said. “She probably appreciates the New Zealand environment a bit more too.
“She switched off early enough that she was going to find a nice kick late and she did. Opie sat there quietly for as long as he could and it was perfect.
“If she keeps improving her racing manners there’s no reason she can’t get to a good level.
“It wasn’t a big field but there were some nice horses in it. Today was a good sign and a step in the right direction.”
Cole said the Trelawney Stud-raced mare is loving the rural lifestyle on his Waikato property and he is now looking forward to hatching a plan to tackle some loftier targets with the four-year-old.
“She is a mare that appreciates being out at the farm,” he said. “We don’t take her to the town stable, she just lives out there and goes to the paddock every day. Just keeping her in a happy spot more than anything is the most important thing.
“We can start making plans after today. Before this it was just getting her to do things right and see if she could step up or not from her maiden win.”
Later in the card, Cole was back in the winner’s circle courtesy of Bradley in the Blue Star Group 1600.
“He is a horse with more ability than he has shown us,” Cole said. “I am really happy for the owners, Justine (Sclater) and her crew have been really patient and supportive of me in trying to figure the horse out. We have finally done that and it is nice to get the job done on a good day.”
The stable also featured prominently in the feature race of the card, the Gr.1 TAB Telegraph (1200m), with last year’s placegetter Navigator going one better to finish runner-up behind First Five.
