Once again an Australian bred stayer won a Group race in New Zealand and this time the 4yo Maygrove was far superior over 2400m at G2. Maygrove ran a very respectable 2:26.65 and under just 52.5kg had them covered turning for home. It was his fifth win in twenty starts and the gelding is a left-hander at this stage and needs good or dead footing. Maygrove is bred to be a stayer being by Authorised and out of a Zabeel dam in Lady Zhivago. He can only get stronger from this point on and a young stayer at last has put his name forward this season with more to come. His stable of Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman can find and improve a young galloper especially at the middle distances and they do so with male and female gallopers. The colours he races in have been going super in the last few years with Group success in New Zealand and Australia via Lucia Valentina and Atlante. Perfect Start ran on stoutly for second after getting further back than the trainer wanted and then finding traffic across the top and turning for home. This mare has bloomed since spring considering she had five runs in Queensland last winter for two fifths, two sevenths and a twelfth of twelve. She’s Insatiable ran on well and the South Island prepared mare had finished third in the G3 NZ Cup over spring behind two old gallopers in Mungo Jerry and Esprit D’Or. Her effort must put a question mark on the form depth as in her two prior starts she was last and ninth of eleven. King Kamada ran a sound fourth but he had been tried five times in Australia too with a fourth at Doomben the best effort. Decorah the mare and stablemate of the winner was brave for fifth as she was never on the track throughout and was still third at the 100m. Langdon ran on late from the back and Dubai Shuffle was not too bad from the back too. Graphic, the winner of this last year, was disappointing when ninth beaten six lengths. He ran over three seconds (eighteen lengths) inferior in winning last year so the stamina difference required today was probably the actual key. The rest got beaten by some massive margins with a G1 winner at WFA two springs ago in Ransomed second last beaten twenty-seven lengths. The winner is the only one you would want as a stayer from this race as he has it all ahead and the breeding oozes stamina. Maygrove only has to become clockwise efficient to open up a myriad of options for this year and next.