This slowly run race summed up the major lack of WFA depth in New Zealand racing at the moment with the narrow winner Historian really a handicap miler. There have been five G1 at WFA for all comers events in New Zealand this season so far and five different winners with three of them being well beaten (two of them totally demolished) when they went to Australia. The depth is not there anymore and may been false for several years too. Historian has raced five times at 1800m or further and three of those came as a 3yo when able to finish second in the G1 NZ Derby (2400m) on a bog track plus third at G3 and fourth at G2. He then suffered an injury Apart from today he ran fifth in a G1 over 2000m against all comers at the often biased Te Rapa track in February this year. The winner Sangster has never won in Australia in eight runs since capturing the VRC G1 Derby (2500m) as a 3yo and in fact in that time has placed just twice as an older horse. The rest of the form out of the race has been ordinary locally and no good in Australia so flagged as suspect for sure. No doubting the courage of Historian as he keeps going and to come back from such a bad injury as a 3yo and not race again for eighteen months is testament to that. The time he won with today of 2:05.99 shows it was daylight robbery as it is the fourth slowest ever run in the event. Two of the times were on bog heavy tracks for this often moved on the calendar event that has been G1 since 1987. Trainer Gary Alton has done a fine job with Historian and since this win everything he has run is winning so success begets success. In the sprint home event the mares closed hard late for second (O’Fille), third (Soriano) and fourth (Viadana) with second or fourth likely to win had the race pace been even upped a tad midrace. The fact Soriano was third and beaten a long neck is alarming as she was fourth to Ransomed, Nashville and Survived in the G1 Spring Classic at Hastings early October under WFA. Ransomed was hopelessly outclassed at G2 in the Sandown Classic at Caulfield this spring and that was not a very strong field at all. Nashville was tenth of thirteen in the G1 Emirates Mile at Flemington under handicap conditions albeit beaten just two and a half lengths but it was not an overly strong field. Smokin Joey was second beaten half a neck after a nightmare trip to give some realism about the race result. Survived seems to be magnet for terrible rides of late (Opie Bosson has now captured the sport for third worst G1 ride in New Zealand this season) so the jury still out on him but the formlines he is there or thereabouts in are worryingly not serious. Shuka probably should have won but in such a doddle and sprint home he was winding up too late down the outer. We will never know for sure but Survived should have won. Lady Kipling has now had eight races at 2000m and is yet to even fill a place but she found the line well late so adding more confirmation that the race was way below a genuine G1 for depth. Zurella is still a maiden clockwise and her broodmare days are getting closer surely unless a left-hand shot next year is entertained. The most damning thing about this race was not the two-race winner Roc De Chine finishing last but the 4yo mare being only beaten five lengths. She went from a Ratings 65 win (the class just above maidens in New Zealand) prior and carried half a kilo more today in G1 under WFA at 2000m and was still third at the 400m. Now that is proof perfect that several G1 events in a New Zealand season should not hold that gold standard classification anymore because internationally they are very many lengths inferior (on a par with G3 based on this result).