This G1 1200m Open under set weights penalties has seen its share of boilovers and today it happened again as Santa Monica, a 5yo mare having her first attempt at this level, won paying $77 as the second to outsider in the field. The field looked of dubious depth and the first six home were all female gallopers showing the sprinting ranks are very ordinary at the moment. The track at Ellerslie today was posted as a Good3 but the winners in the main came well off the inside and many got angled deliberately up the middle lanes, which looks and is quite unnerving for bettors. The winners and where they turned for home in race order were seventh (three-off the fence and three lengths from the leader), seventh (two-off the fence and three and a half lengths from the leader), led (one-off the fence and a length in front), tenth (four-off the fence and four lengths from the leader), fifth (four-off the fence and three lengths from the leader), ninth (six-off the fence and five lengths from the leader), sixth (nine-off the fence and three lengths from then leader), led (four-off the fence and a neck in front), sixth (eight-off the fence and two lengths from the leader) and led (two-off fence and two lengths in the lead). Santa Monica raced seventh wide albeit with cover and moved up sixth deeper turning for home and not too far away ready to unleash. She reached fourth at the 200m and was coming before being second at the 150m and then got the front with 10m to go scoring by a neck in 1:09.47. The mare last won a race in September beating Benchmark82 class that is six or seven grades inferior to today or supposed to be but in New Zealand the compression is like worn out spinal discs. It was her fifth win from twenty-eight starts and her first at Blacktype plus incredibly on Good footing prior to today she had raced five times and not paid a dividend. She wins at G1 at her sixth Good track try, which says more about her opposition and luck on the day. Princess Kereru, also a 5yo mare, had tried Blacktype twice before and had failed each time though today she nearly won at G1 and probably should have saluted. She carried the minimum of 53kg like the winner but after being fifth away lost her place to be tenth the inner and then got off the inside across the top to be eighth. After working through sixth turning for home the mare surged sharply at the 300m and led at the 200m several widths away from the fence and in lanes that did not become a negative. She looked set to win when clear at the 100m but alarmingly was running inwards towards the no go lanes and once in them she got bombed with 10m to go looking anchored somewhat by the inferior footing there. If the runner up should have won but for veering down into the no go lanes closer in of Ellerslie these days then the third finisher Melody Belle should have won for fun. The clear cut favourite stormed home too late to be beaten a neck and a head and it was a combination of rider and tactical error by her yard. The 4yo mare drew wide and had topweight of 57kg but had earned it and the race was lost when away eighth and deep she then got eased back a few spots rather than to hold her spot or move closer as she was always going to have to sit deep. Melody Belle was tenth and wide still midrace but several lengths further back than when she jumped and considering the narrow margin she got beaten that was the losing of the race. The best sprinter in the field was twelfth and the deepest runner turning for home and miles away then asked to do a herculean task. She almost achieved it and this was a G1 thrown away as there was no difference sitting eighth wide as tenth wide today regarding energy expelled, except a couple of lengths difference start to the leaders and the runners that beat her home. Race decisions have consequences and when on the best horse in the race by a margin the impossible is not always surmountable if just a couple of lengths askew in judgment and tactics. Volpe Veloce, the winner of this a year ago, settled down last and ran home powerfully for fourth beaten less than a length. She went straight back to last and then came with one run at them so the plan after an awkward start was basically correct bar a timing issue of such a late burst, whereas Melody Belle with 1kg more sat wide covering extra ground throughout. Melody Belle wins the race likely 99 times out of 100 if run again so how she got beaten boggles the mind and the ground she made up late under topweight said it all. One spot closer in the running let alone two and she wins semi-comfortably. Indecision fought on for fifth after trailing third the inner on settling but was almost two and a half lengths from the winner at the line. Sleeping Beauty from sixth the inside fought on okay while the second favourite Bostonian was a disappointing seventh. Bostonian had no ping the run home after racing fifth in a good spot and he may be just a wet tracker, as prior he had won fresh up easily at G3 level on slow footing and the runner up that day was Santa Monica that he gave 3kg. Today he only gave her 2.5kg and after a one and a half length win was three lengths behind her today so the four and a half length turnaround can only be the better footing and/or he is not as good as his trainer and connections believe. Stratocaster battled on okay from the back while Ferrando was used up wide early to go forward and get up second the outer then led at the 300m before being headed at the 200m weakening. Volks Lightning was fourth wide in the open throughout so did well not to drop right out as she finished tenth beaten just under three and a half lengths. Livin' On A Prayer battled away after getting back on the inner and the backed into second favourite Gift Of Power after working to the lead early stopped quickly and was beaten six lengths. Even if she did hang out the home turn it makes a mockery of her prior win by over ten lengths in a time of 1:07.46 6 carrying 56.5kg that is not believeable whatsoever and should never ever be ratified. The mare today ran twelfth beaten six lengths in a 1:09.47 won race, so she ran close to 1.11 at the line well beaten, yet on an Awapuni track not noted for fast 1200m times (until the top bend reduction and change) she was supposed to have run eighteen lengths faster than she did today. If she is just a leftie then should win the G1 Telegraph by daylight in world record time at Trentham down the chute as they get faster clockings than Awapuni does these days. The other two in this race were outclassed with Rocanto not good enough (he has had two G1 starts for a last of eighteen and a thirteenth of fourteen today) and William Wallace is better the other direction. Santa Monica got very lucky today as she should in reality run her usual honest race and finished fourth at best with any of second, third and fourth sure to beat her home bar slow lanes and rider timing and/or tactical mistakes. Everything fell into her favour today including beating a far from strong G1 field and she scored her first win on good footing ever at a first G1 attempt. It is hard to ever better anything when all the planets align for one day too your benefit. Bostonian needs to regain his reputation that is in tatters, after the effort today when getting a soft run the outer, in what is looking not a very strong either G1 Telegraph at Trentham on January 19, a race that boilovers happen in with startling regularity. The time at Awapuni for Gift Of Power two starts ago would have won the last three Telegraphs easily so her reputation is too on the line. Santa Monica is not in the G1 Telegraph to show that today was not, as is confidently suspected using all data and post race analysis, a total fluke.