This Listed 3yo mile drew as good a field as it could get considering like the Karaka Million 2yo this is a race only for certain Sales sold runners. It contained both the G1 2000 Guineas winner and the G1 1000 Guineas winner from New Zealand but the Australian bred raider Long Leaf upstaged them and gave a dose of reality to the local 3yo crop. This six-race twilight meeting at Ellerslie, with five of the events at Blacktype, saw Australian breds win half the card ominously on a track presented as Dead4 so the times never got quick. The winners and where they turned for home in race order were fourth (five-off the fence and half a length from the leader), seventh (on the fence and five lengths from the leader), second (three-off the fence and a neck from the leader), tenth (ten-wide (deepest turning in) and three lengths from the leader), eighth (four-off the fence and three lengths from the leader) and fifth (six-off the fence and half a length from the leader). No leader won all day/twilight strangely as a couple of races were very sedate contests but with this track over-watering they never seem to get it quite right regards manmade track bias. Long Leaf before today had never won as a 3yo or at the mile or clockwise but got the trifecta in one hit and it was a million dollar race to boot. The colt had won three races as juvenile and two came at Listed level so he added a third at that level today but as a 3yo. His peak Timeform rating is 112 (attained when sixth in the Golden Slipper and fourth in the Sires Produce both as a 2yo and when third in the G2 Sandown Guineas as a 3yo). The colt ran to 112 again today for a fourfar but for some realism is ranked twenty-fifth equal in the 3yo ranking with about ten others on that plateau so is way down the pecking order. The Autumn Sun is the Benchmark 3yo so far at 126 and the boom West Australia filly Arcadia Queen is 121 and then it is 119 and downwards so 112 is a boulevard or blocks away. The uber-impressive 2018 Melbourne Cup winner Cross Counter was in effect a Northern Hemisphere 3yo and given a 125 Timeform rating. Long Leaf was eighth on settling then moved up sixth across the top into the three-wide train with cover and the winning of the race came right here midrace. The colt in a far from taxing run mile strode up fifth and six-off the fence close to the leaders and was second at the 300m but led at the 200m and after a fight ended up winning a neck in 1:35.1. It was his fourth win from fourteen starts and his biggest payday for a colt that cost 750K as a yearling. Long Leaf started heavily backed very late by some astute money to be a clear second favourite at $4 and the deep dive form students got truckloads it appears. The runner up was the rank outsider by miles in The Real Beal at $162 that had been an ordinary eighth prior against a dubious field over 1400m with a 3kg claim. The filly was awkwardly away and last on settling standing up the leaders a big start before moving around four-wide across the top and then sustained that overland surge to get up and lead seven-off the inside turning for home. The audacity to do so caused an instant stunned silence on course as this could not be happening surely. Once the winner Long Leaf took the lead of The Real Beal at the 200m she did not throw in the towel at all and in fact fought every inch to the line. Her loop the whole field effort alone says more about the opposition and that many of them are way overrated. This one-win filly that scored on debut as a juvenile left-handed over 1000m and has not won since could have caused one of the biggest boilovers ever seen at Stakes level at Ellerslie. Madison County ran on well for third beaten just over a length after settling down fourteenth and wide albeit with cover. The gelding tried to stay on the back of the eventual winner wide across the top but she went too fast for him for the two up then he was angled the deepest runner at the 400m and asked to lengthen. He wound up strongly late from sixth at the 200m to be third at the 100m and the top male 3yo in New Zealand at the moment, a dual G1 winner, was in many ways bought back to earth with a thud. The G1 2000 Guineas win and G1 Levin Classis winner, both at the mile, ran well today but the pair that beat him home a length are not exactly causing any knees to tremble. Queen Of Diamonds his stablemate ran a sound fourth after being fifth surrounded and then being seventh or eighth the middle column across the top. She turned for home tenth then drove through and reached fifth at the 200m sustaining her effort and actually only got to fourth the final 50m. Surely Sacred ran on and fought on gamely for fifth beaten just under a length and a half after settling back tenth or eleventh the inner. Prise De Fer fought on okay too for sixth beaten less than two lengths after being a tad tardy then kicking up the inside to be midfield the inner. He was worked off near the home turn and lost some spots to be eleventh turning in and then came through with purpose to reach fourth at the 200m then hit a flat spot at the 100m. He dug in again late and has some scope if he can overcome that fierce pulling and overracing trait plus he is wayward under pressure too. Media Sensation won the G1 1000 Guineas and the filly in her lead up run here at G2 against her own sex had run an absolute shocker to be last beaten over thirty-seven and a half lengths on a non-draining bog. Her seventh in this beaten just over two lengths was actually one of the better unplaced efforts in the race as she was seventh at the 1200m but four-wide and then got sent up third and three-wide so had a deadest overlander. The rider Michael Coleman could not have covered more ground if he tried as the filly did a power of extra work and was even sent up second and five-off turning for home. After such a gutbuster she should have dropped out but was still third at the 300m and 200m and fourth at the 100m. She will have slept well and if not flattened and dulled by such a ride the filly can find her best again. Imelda Mary ran on well from fifteenth on settling and the filly is thriving with racing it seems. Pinmedown, another filly, ran on well too from twelfth on settling and fourteenth turning for home. Sir Nate, which ran third in the G1 2000 Guineas, raced fourth then fifth the outer and wilted disappointingly to be beaten four lengths. Miss Labasa was unbeaten coming into today but having a first race clockwise run here trailed the leader and wilted while Langkawi worked to the lead and tired once headed turning for home. In A Twinkling was noticed running on well late wide and his luck has been atrocious of late. Swords Drawn, a maiden still, plugged on from well back the inner to be beaten just under five and a half lengths. Super Gee got back tenth or eleventh then lost his place to be second last turning for home and showed nothing to be beaten over nine lengths. Hypnos had run second equal at G1 prior to today behind Madison County but after being worse than midfield away was wide thereafter ninth across the top and stopped to beat one home. It was an out of character effort to be beaten almost eleven lengths. Red Dynamo was outclassed and last. This was a much stronger race than Listed level but the result was baffling as Long Leaf is no star and was winning his first race today as a 3yo and we are in January. The runner up was at one of the all time blow out prices as the rank outsider and almost won it. The G1 2000 and G1 1000 Guineas winners of New Zealand were third beaten over a length and seventh beaten over two lengths, so what to make of the actual depth this season just got more perplexing. This looks a rich source of future form even though many of these are sprinters only and some are more likely Derby or Oaks types. The strongest ever running of this race nearly provided the longest priced winner perhaps ever seen at Ellerslie in the modern era at least when it comes to 3yo Stakes level. The jury is still deadlocked when it comes to New Zealand 3yo form this season as it is yet to hold conclusively and while Madison County and Media Sensation are still the top male and female after today their stocks devalued somewhat. The two fillies that were rated ahead of Media Sensation before her G1 1000 Guineas win namely Melt and Xpression are now trained by Chris Waller and should appear in the Sydney Autumn. Media Sensation may well yet go to Australia and perform and Madison County could still get there too. Avoiding at all costs The Autumn Sun will be the male plan but Media Sensation should get a filly gauge by how Melt and Xpression measure up.