This G3 over 1800m under set weights and penalties saw a once again gift race to Consensus, a G1 winner only 1kg above the minimum and she had bolted in at G3 in her prior start with 53kg. The rail was out 5m and saw an already massively biased towards leaders and the insides lanes New Plymouth track become an even more manmade biased course all day. The winners and where they turned for home in race order were led (length clear the inside), third (trail leaders inner and a length away), led (neck clear the inner), co-leader (two-off the inside), fifth (three-wide and two lengths from the leader), led (length clear inner), third (four-off and a length from the leader) and fourth (one-off and a length and a half from the leader). No winner came from further back than two lengths from the leader or worse than fifth plus four of the leaders won and two trailing the leaders won. Consensus raced fourth the outer in a dream spot and moved up third wide before the home turn and reached second at the 250m looking a likely very easy winner again. However the 7yo mare had a bit of trouble lifting to get the leader but got the font at the 50m and scored by a long neck in 1:49.84 (the Listed 3yo filly race prior to this clocked 1:51.59 or almost nine lengths slower). It was her tenth win in fifty-two starts so she has had plenty of racing and the win strike rate is not that great either but her value is now highest as a broodmare. Dolcetto flew home too late for second and may well have won with another 50m plus he gave Consensus (a G1 winner) 2kg and had not won for fourteen months. Shadow Fox led up and gave a sight only to be headed at the 50m and then lose second the final 5m with the 8yo having led and scored at his prior start but was stiff to be relegated. It was his first ever try past the mile and at G3 the old fella gave a sight. Vin De Dance ran a good fourth fresh up beaten less than a length and he may be over now a disastrous Melbourne Spring cut short campaign last year. Classic Touch the third outsider in the field showed what manmade track bias can do for runners after sitting fifth or sixth the inner. Overtheriver the 8yo kept coming from seventh on settling and had an apprentice atop in a Group race. Saint Emilion is a win or nowhere types these days and has won almost a third of his starts but when he does not lead then bettors know the outcome. He sat outside the leader today, which ran a close third, and wilted the run in to be seventh beaten almost four lengths. The rest were outclassed or needing wet ground. This was nowhere near a G3 field as most were handicappers and a few not even Open grade gallopers plus a chunk of the field was out of form too. Consensus at 54kg wins this as a G1 winner in form nine times out of ten and while she got the job done it was not that impressive at all to take an eternity to run down an 8yo having a first try at 1800m that has not won for a while. She would have been beaten too in another 50m by a runner that had also not won in quite a while, so the win was far from stellar and there could be a rethink by both connections and the trainer regarding tackling the Sydney Autumn carnival. The 7yo mare would need some soft races or events lacking in numbers and depth but younger legs are likely to topple her there as well let alone meeting Winx and whatever was left she did not scare off.