This was a legitimate Listed mile for field depth under handicap conditions and turned out to be an all lightweights finish dominated by mares. The true strength of New Zealand racing has always been fillies and mares with the colossal benefits they enjoy at all facets of the sport so no surprise today that the first four home were mares in a solidly run race. Cote ‘D’Or settled well back but when unleashed down the outer the run home she unwound like many more wins are in store. The 5yo flew the last bit to get up with 10m to go and scored by a long head in 1:38.72 carrying 53kg, which was the best time of the day by ten lengths or more at the 1600m. It was her seventh win in fourteen starts and her first blacktype gained plus it should be noted at the very first time she tackled it. Big Dreamer was huge in defeat after sitting wide throughout back of the midfield and then she kept coming to actually lead momentarily with 15m to go carrying 53kg. She can be impossible to predict as there are more poor runs than good but when she is on song she is capable and now has a Listed second to go with a G3 third. Tessastock fresh up on the minimum of 53kg ran on strongly after sitting worse than midfield the outer and she actually led with 50m to go. The first three home all came from the back so the fourth of Eleonora, a fresh up 4yo mare, is the super effort and an unheralded one because she was the first runner home from near the pace. She led out then trailed before striding through to lead closer in at the 300m on a tricky wet Matamata track all day. Eleonora got swamped the final 50m but the performance speaks volumes for a big season ahead. Grand Rio was jumping several grades today and ran a sound fifth beaten less than two lengths after racing alongside Eleonora mostly but he had race core fitness from bog track racing over the Winter. Our King Sway and Brilliant Shine battled on okay from midfield or worse the inner. Galaxy Miss, usually an on pacer, once sitting fifth never looked comfortable and then lost her place near the home turn before battling closer the final stages. All her six career wins have come from leading or sitting outside the leader. Meritaggio plugged closer late from the rear while Charles Road was ordinary for the third time this season and the 4yo has not come up it seems or needs dry footing. Charles Road has 3yo form that must now be in question unless he can show something once onto better footing as otherwise he may need to come back in the Autumn and try again. The rest were beaten five lengths to over nine lengths and two of those three raced near the pace before dropping out. The footing was dubious at Matamata but this result will produce more winners and some at blacktype. Half of these were wet trackers still racing as the wet months in a New Zealand season are now almost all of Winter, Spring and the Autumn and sadly sometimes a bit of Summer too. The first four home (all female gallopers) will go on with it and Charles Road is the head scratcher as the male 4yo cannot keep underperforming surely.