Once again an Australian trained and/or ridden juvenile took out the richest race in New Zealand, the Karaka Million, that is open only to certain graduates with Hardline the victor. The colt is by an in form juvenile sire source this season in Showcasing and was today winning his second race at start number three. He is trained at Eagle Farm by Liam Birchley, who has won this race before with Sister Havana and should have had another too with Sarge In Charge (second). The winners of the Karaka Millions, which began in 2008, have never really ever gone on with it and Vincent Mangano, The Heckler, Sister Havana, Ockham’s Razor, Ruud Awakening and Vespa all make for a dose of reality reading. So something is surely due to show it can go on with at a higher level afterwards. The first two home in this came from third last and second last on settling so being tightened early helped Hardline in effect and being tardy too helped runner up Selfie. Damian Browne rode a panic free race and when he asked his mount to detonate the response was particularly explosive the closing stages. Selfie look sure to win at the 100m with a decent break but such was the ground devouring strides of Hardline he ended up winning by half a length and clocked 1:10.63. A race earlier for Special Conditions (maiden and one win 3yos) ran 1:10.12 or three lengths faster surprisingly and shows just how hard they went in it with the odds on favourite going down after leading in that event too it should be noted. Selfie was ridden well too and hit the lead easily at the 150m so the trainer and his son the jockey must still be wondering how on earth they got beaten. It just adds more merit to the performance of the winner. Dal Cielo was huge in defeat for third after being wide early then three-wide on or near the pace throughout from the 800m. How he kept going the run home and actually fought back late from fourth to get third money speaks volumes for his will to compete. Two runners out of the race look to have scope galore for the rest of this season but more so when 3yos and mature enough to handle their frames. Gotham, an Australian bred, ran a super fifth after being back and wide throughout and then held up early the run home when taking a middle route. He stretched out attractively from ninth at the 200m to get fifth beaten just over two lengths. The Justice League started favourite and the big strider still does a lot wrong but he has a motor for sure. After jumping in the air at the start he then was five-wide and fourth last plus deeper across the top only to try and run off near the home turn, How he kept going to finish ninth beaten just over eight lengths is remarkable in itself as he covered a lot more than the 1200m. He is officially a New Zealand bred colt but is by the Australian sire I Am Invincible and is out of an Australian dam in L’Artiste plus he has some serious size. Two of the bigger striding younger horses you will see both ran at this meeting with Volkstok’n’barrell the 3yo and this juvenile The Justice League. How the 2015 Karaka Million winner and form will stack up is always debatable as history shows it is yet to unearth a real star and being open only to some is where the percentages get tightened further that it ever will. One thing though is for sure and that is Liam Birchley now has a taste for a Karaka Million threepeat and has surely already purchased several with the aim of a 2016 defence.