Another impressive city win for recent stable acquisition Code Word has Moruya trainer John Marzol eyeing next month’s Grafton Cup.
Marzol celebrated his first Saturday metropolitan winner when Code Word backed up a last start midweek city victory with a dominant performance in the Australis Inbound Tours and Travel Handicap (2000m) at Randwick.
The four-year-old unleashed a strong turn of foot at his first start at the distance to defeat Danefox by 3-3/4 lengths with a neck to Our Cannavaro in third.
Marzol, who works a team of around 20 horses at his base on the NSW south coast, is also a part-owner of Code Wode having bought the former Gerald Ryan-trained gelding earlier this year.
“We’ve had him for a couple of months, this was his fifth start for us,” Marzol said.
“I thought he would go well today. He’s thriving down the coast there.”
Marzol said Code Word was likely to return to Sydney in a couple of weeks for another 2000m test before a possible trip to Grafton for next month’s Cup.
“We’ll probably be back here in town in a couple of weeks and then the Grafton Cup the way he’s going,” Marzol said.
Nathan Berry was impressed with the way Code Word quickened from back in the field and believes more city success awaits the son of More Than Ready, especially while the tracks remain wet.
“He was very dominant today and put the race beyond doubt pretty quickly,” Berry said.
“The last 50 metres I reckon he just started to feel the pinch a little bit.
“He might have just been waiting for something to challenge him though, and I just said to John that the Grafton Cup is still a while away so if he has another run at 2000 metres and is dominant again, why not give it a go.”
The Listed Grafton Cup (2350m) is on July 14.
AAP TURF
