This race has been moved from a late spring date to this summer carnival after years of substandard fields and the winners of this have not done much at all afterwards bar a handful for a very long time. Epic winners in the 1980’s like the ill-fated Altitude, the star filly Our Flight and the international big hitter Bonecrusher made this race great and then in 1991 saw Veandercross score and he too was a real G1 galloper. The big filly Final Destination won in 2001 and she would perform in the Northern Hemisphere so was the last serious winner while from a local point of view Wahid (won the NZ Derby afterwards) and We Can Say It Now (filly that won a G1 at WFA next start) the other results of note this century. The jury is well and truly still out as the field this year of just a dozen had only one 3yo with a G1 placing this season so far in Chambord, which was stiff today to not get into the finish and looks a Derby type on breeding. Otherwise there were mostly honest types and reputations only plus some hoping to regain their best. The winning time of 1:36.10 ensures this race cannot be treated seriously until a later date if at all as that time is worse than standard for average maidens and this is supposedly a G1. A Listed mile for Open Handicappers the following race ran 1:33.93 (or thirteen lengths quicker) to get some perspective and the last race on the card a Ratings 75 ran 1:35.49 (four lengths quicker). The race was a sprint home and the first two across the line stablemates so no pressure was going to come when they controlled the race on settling. Recite, a G1 winner as a juvenile, had not come up this season so far to the levels her stable and connections had hoped but sitting outside her stablemate Franzac in a slow run race was ideal. The sex allowance of the filly beat the male Franzac in the end but whether these are genuine G1 gallopers as 3yos is still unknown such was the way this race was run. The third finisher trailed to the turn so the first three in the running on settling no surprise formed the trifecta in basically a 400m dash for the cash and G1 kudos. Several other factors make this race and result suspect until proven otherwise. El Doute was outclassed and never beat a rival home when in the G1 2000 Guineas over the mile in spring to finish a staggering thirty lengths away. Today the South Island 3yo sat wide the whole way and stuck on for fifth which almost condemns this race just on that effort alone and staggering improvement of over twenty-eighth lengths. What helped him was the farcically slow time on a concrete track that was a disgrace for this club and meeting. As you will read in the G1 Telegraph Handicap Race Review today was the second laughing stock track presentation in the last four years by the same trackman and club. The fact it was not picked up alarmingly by stewards and reacted too (until after R5 today) is simply unacceptable if they are asking for you to bet with your money in a competitive wagering environment. This is a turnover and confidence business and when the customers are treated as dolts with cash there is a slippery slope to oblivion. Casinos do not charge an entry fee to have a bet and then provide substandard betting conditions (venue or track) nor do they have slow to react officials (stewards) as the customer always comes first. And you wonder why one thrives and the other dives. Chambord from last sprinted quickly closer in but ran out of room the final 100m when sure to place and had to be grabbed hold of the final 50m. Several runners got going too late like Thorn Pass but the biggest flop was the money muncher Kawi that has now been beaten three times in a row as favourite. His reputation is in tatters and needs an image makeover after being second twice at $1.50 and then awful here at $3.60. The blinkers addition by Team Sharrock was a mistake as the 3yo was tardy then sped up handy the outer only to get fired up plus he would not let down the run home on such a tarmac track presented. Eyewear used as a weapon at his first G1 proved to be a howler and Kawi needs to settle to perform plus be ridden with confidence as both horse and rider at the moment are very indecisive. Recite gave her trainer John Bary the quinella (he prepares Franzac too) and rider Mark Du Plessis would do the G1 double on the day by winning the Telegraph also on a daughter of the sire Darci Brahma. It was the fourth individual G1 winner for the sire Darci Brahma with Irish Fling making it five later in the day but he has had four crops on the ground and is still to get that important G1 in Australia. His G1 winners are Artistic, Recite, Nashville, Irish Fling and the multiple Singapore winner Super Easy. They do not breed horses in Singapore (like Hong Kong) as betting (turnover) is the core business and they are very successful at it too. Until Darci Brahma gets that elusive first G1 in Australia the other numbers are just spin. Interesting to note three of his current five G1 winners when tried outside their own country got well beaten in the main (Artistic (Miss Artistic when racing outside New Zealand) and Nashville in Australia and Super Easy in Hong Kong). It is no surprise that fillies and mares are cleaning up huge numbers of blacktype races in New Zealand as the season is geared up around them and they can run in just about every race possible unlike the colts and geldings. Overall this race was a timid introduction to being moved in both date and venue plus lacked the numbers and depth they hoped as well. It may stand up locally through the Derby but hard to see anything here as causing fear in Australia or wider internationally at this stage form wise.