The odds on Xtravagant won this G3 3yo 1200m at set weights as expected with the biggest shock being he trailed the leaders. Xtravagant led out as usual but being fresh up and needing to expand his one-dimensional racing pattern the colt after being taken on took a trail after 200m. Once worked off before the home turn he strode up and led at the 350m before powering clear to win by just under three lengths. The only reason he did not win by further was he did not get knocked around at all and was tiring a tad too. The winning time of 1:08.68 on a day of some fast clockings, where take note the rail was out 3m so you have to be tad wary, was not the quickest time incredibly. A 5yo mare that had not won a race for almost a year (it came on a bog at Arawa Park) won the opening event in 1:08.57 to give some reality to the day. Xtravagant was winning today his sixth race from ten starts. The colt had his boom muffled in Melbourne last month when leading and run over easily into eighth beaten four and a half lengths in the G1 Australian Guineas (1600m). That flop did not answer whether he would be just a sprinter but also if his staunch reputation was justified outside New Zealand. After today he will look to make his stallion resume worthwhile and that means performing in Australia, so while the easier Queensland winter carnival looks the logical rung down the depth ladder to tackle that is not yet cast in stone. The tighter more biased tracks towards on pacers like Doomben will suit but with the re-opening of the roomy Eagle Farm early June that means all will have to be sweet for the 2016 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) to happen there. A softer kill or two may be the best pathway for Xtravagant as another major defeat in Australia is a stallion dagger blow, so he could try and towel up his age group first. The runner up today was the up until then unbeaten South Island trained filly First Serve that ran home strongly. She hit the line hard from well back once into clear air the run home to grab some blacktype. Volks Lightning ran on well from the back for a usual on pacer to get third, which was his sixth placing in eight starts. Windborne ran on well from the back late while Untamed Diamond fought on okay after racing handy. The male Barnaby and female Hollywood Lass ran on late with the former coming the inner and the latter down the outer so hers was the better performance. Serious Satire needed the run badly and her tote price of nearly $24 told you that. Forgive the efforts of Battle Time (wide all the way) and Koenigsegg One (worked too hard wide early). Xtravagant had the draw and put this field away quickly the run home as he should have done at a sprint trip left-handed. It is his next or more likely the run following in Australia that will really matter so for sure Team Te Akau as usual will be ‘looking forward’ and where it will be make, break or back to the drawing board.