This G3 Open Handicap mile saw a tight finish between the first three with less than half a length separating then and Mauna Kea prevailed by a short head on an energy sapping heavy Trentham track. The track at Trentham track seems to be in heavy state of flux all year around and should be a water catchment area it gets so much rainfall annually. The winners and where they turned for home in race order were led (one-off the inside and a neck in front), led (one-off the inside and a neck in front), third (four-off the inside and two lengths from the leader), third (five-off the inside and half a length from the leader), second (six-off the inside and a length from the leader), led (three-off the inside and a length in front), second (inside on rail and half a length from the leader), co-leader (one-off the inside) and fourth (five-off the inside and length and a half from the leader). Mauna Kea has been racing since June without a proper break but he can swim and getting a bog track two months into Spring was the main contributing factor to his win. The 6yo gelding is a deadest wet tracker and three weeks prior to today had contested a G1 at WFA over 2040m won by Melody Belle, where he ran ninth beaten a dozen lengths on dead footing. Today he sat second the outer and challenged across the top to the home turn and was still in a ding donger at the 200m. His core fitness over the Winter months helped as he took a narrow lead at the 100m and staved them off in the holding mud to win by a short head in 1:45.20 and record his eighth win in twenty-eight starts. Mauna Kea has only won on slow and heavy footing and today was his first Blacktype success and goes with a G3 second at the mile he achieved in September. He had tried G1 twice and failed in his other Blacktype outings. Jessiegee just missed winning after racing in the trail and she was inch by inch getting there in the Trentham gruel but came up an unmanicured whisker short. Polly Grey has been a revelation over Winter and the 5yo mare almost snared this G3 after settling down second last then unleashing a sustained run home swim. She had before today won a Listed race on a bog at her home track easily and adores the mud flying around her ears on raceday. Her campaign started in April with a maiden win and eleven starts and six months later she has a G3 in the bank. The incredibly long unbroken run of bog tracks in New Zealand racing is elongating the campaign of so many wet trackers as they hang around for a couple more months at least the days. Dolcetto carried the clear topweight of 60kg (Mauna Kea had the second highest weight at 55.5kg) and led up before being headed with 100m to go but he fought hard. He had prior first up tackled a G1 over 2040m at WFA and run fourth beaten seven lengths to Melody Belle. Platinum Invador was noticed warming up late from last and he is close to some form. Guillada ran an honest sixth at her first Open Handicap outing and G3 against the older horses. Irish Flame beat one home but was just three lengths from the winner while Secret Allure struggled against the older allcomers as today was her first try against the males in Open Class. This was a wet track result and more to do with fitness or ability to swim, so is for a Spring race two months into that season an irrelevant result.' It will stand up in good stead for a Winter source but we are right now in late Spring and moving shortly into Summer.