The track today at New Plymouth was a total bog and biased beyond belief, which is saying something for this tight venue. This track no matter the footing is one of the top three most biased venues in New Zealand towards on pacers and leaders but today was insane with the rail out 4.5m on an absurdly heavy track. Some of the winning margins defied belief and overall there is a dubious aspect about the form worth with such a colossal inside and on pace bias all day. The winner of this Listed 1400m event Longchamp was the co-leader throughout and just kicked on too well and swam home better than the rest to score by two and a half lengths in 1:35.05. The time is significant as just three races earlier a maiden led and won a Special Conditions event by sixteen lengths in 1:34.01 (or six lengths superior). The race prior to this saw the leader swim clear in a Benchmark 75 and score by a dozen lengths in 1:33.69 (about eight lengths superior). Longchamp is by a wet weather sire in Tavistock and the late maturing 4yo has come good this year with now four wins from five outings. He has overall now won six races from sixteen starts and as an on pacer partial to rain-affected footing and bogs that will stand him in good stead. North And South settled in the rear duo but notably made ground through the field across the top as many were compounding badly and in fact turned for home sixth and in full swim stroke. The mare got home well late and reached second the final 50m. Taurus under the topweight of 60kg was brave in third after being back of the midfield and wide then coming up deeper into fourth turning for home. He tried hard considering the impost on a disgracefully biased track. The favourite Summer’s Day had every chance sitting handy and was second turning for home before wilting to fourth and the footing was simply too extreme for the mare. Cassie Anne and Aide Memoire ran on albeit very distantly for fifth and sixth respectively. The rest got beaten by obscene amounts considering many of them can swim or at least thought they could. Clearly the Naki mud has become legendary after today and second only to the bottomless bogs of Trentham. Salamanca can swim and won here four runs ago but today finished last and was beaten over seventh-five lengths to give the track presented and how biased and dreadful it really was and became some perspective. Longchamp can go on with it but may need a break after the draining footing today and that applies for the likes of Summer’s Day, another 4yo with scope. There has to be big asterisk of forgiveness for so many that swam and sank today as the track was just the most absurdly biased venue seen on a bog perhaps ever.