Just nine runners contested this Listed 1590m under WFA and the majority of the runners had not run at this scale or performed in it. The majority of the field are handicappers only plus several of the line up were old gallopers with four runners being a rising 10yo, two rising 9yos and a rising 8yo. The first seven home were covered by three and a half lengths and the other two detached by eleven to fourteen lengths. No surprise that mares formed the quinella with Tomelilla winning by a nostril flare over She's Poppy, as this sex dominates every aspect of New Zealand thoroughbred racing. Tomelilla had prior to today won at G3 under WFA against her own sex having not been blacktype competitive in two other attempts. Today she made the rise to WFA versus all comers but it was a very soft race with many old well-exposed runners and dubious depth. The rising 6yo mare settled back eighth then was steered wide across the top and came up deeper and fourth turning for home and second widest out. She seemed to be one-batting like all those around her then that fitness kicked in and ability to swim and of course the sex relief at WFA. The mare challenged near the line and got that bob in that matters to win her seventh race from twenty-two starts and now has back-to-back blacktype success so her broodmare dance card is assured. She's Poppy is a backrunning handicapper so the track bias in the main on the day suited her style plus she likes her home track too. The rising 7yo mare sat last and then was angled widest across the top to come up the deepest runner turning for home. She was in a faster lane and looming at the 200m before challenging near the line only to be outbobbed a lip. The mare was not blacktype competitive in two outings last year and now at her last two runs in 2018 on wet ground she has won a Listed 1550m with 53kg and today was a Listed 1590m closest second possible at 57kg. Wet ground is her arc and the depth of opposition she is facing clearly does matter too. Taurus, a rising 10yo that first ran in this race in 2013 kept his stellar race record intact today with a third. His form in this race is fifth, third, second, first (in 2016), third and now another third. After settling fourth he went through to third before the home turn and led at the 150m only to be passed by younger legs the final 20m. Will he come back as a rising 11yo this time next year? Ringo was third on settling and second across the top before fighting on well to finish fourth beaten just over a length and a half. Scapolo showed putting on an apprentice rider at blacktype level is almost always a bad move and the winner of nineteen races added to the weight of such compelling data. He raced sixth the outer and was fifth turning for home between runners and held in and up by senior riders with more experience and tactical nous. The rising 9yo was angled inwards for clear air at the 100m and fought on okay for fifth beaten just over two and a half lengths but from the home turn and the next 200m the damage had been done. Rosewood on the inside and inferior lanes raced fifth and looked a WFA and being anchored in substandard footing victim but she fought on again late for sixth and the effort was more meritorious that it can ever read. Petite En Jeu ran along in the lead and perhaps was not properly speed rated either being fresh up since Summer and the mare was run over once joined at the 200m. She may have been hampered late but was spent anyway and the effort of being let run along too much fresh up at 1590m under WFA took a toll. Overtheriver raced with a rear plate as it was unable to be replaced after coming detached on the way to the starting barriers. He had won his last three runs in a row after leading carrying 65kg, 59kg and 62kg under Handicap conditions at Waterlea and New Plymouth. Today, the winner of twenty races, with an apprentice rider atop could not lead and sat second the outer and was gone before the home turn in finishing second last beaten over eleven lengths with WFA his downfall. It was his first attempt at WFA today the rising 8yo at his sixty-fifth start. Our Bandit was outclassed too at his WFA outing. This was an ageing field lacking in real WFA depth and was not a very strong race at all so is more a wet track course specific result not meaning anything of note in the bigger picture of this scale.