The track at Arawa Park was upgraded early then not downgraded enough later or in real time when rain made it progressively a biased slog. Bettors can see when lanes of runners are swooping wide before the home turn that the track has gone so it is an insult to them that nothing is changed as the images show (real time). Soriano easily beat a mediocre line up but carried 59kg for a 5yo mare and that is noteworthy. The rider Rory Hutchings, an apprentice, almost blew it big time as he was jogging on the mare coming up to the home turn wider and then tried to get to the outer but was kept in by Mark Du Plessis on Smartly and was held up ahead by eventual runner up Noble Warrior and Rogan Norvall. He alone steered the mare into a pocket of slamming doors and only possible trouble. The gap luckily appeared 100m later a couple of widths closer in when Norvall could not keep Noble Warrior on the same line and Hutchings burst through to win (the path he was actually on near the home turn) and celebrated across the line. Surprisingly he was not fined for the self-adulation, which must be a first for New Zealand racing, as it is black and white in other jurisdictions that fist pumping and exuberance before or on the line is an automatic monetary penalty. Soriano is no star with today just her fifth win in thirty-five starts so has been raced a lot and is factually as it stands right now a one-in-every-seven starts winner. However she has been G1 placed four times and it does reflect the lack of depth in New Zealand racing. Last year in this same race she finished third under 56.5kg behind the then 10yo course specialist and now jumper Indikator. Soriano is durable and seems to run in everything going so no difference is expected this season. Noble Warrior, an 8yo that had run ninth and tenth at his prior two starts was a fighting second. The 10yo Little Alfie Brown fought hard for third but these are not spring chickens slogging it out at the finish for the placings and does ensure the big asterisk for irrelevant and/or iffy result is placed beside the race. Smartly ran on solidly late down the outer widest and but for a flat spot around the home turn should have been in the money at least as five of the first six over the line were all going up and down on the same spot for the final 150m. Sir Elmo cam along the slower lanes at this stage of the day so to finish fifth beaten two lengths was a sound enough effort. The rest of the field were either poor or are jumpers or had a health/ability issue. Gwynethanne was terrible at first glance for a last start Open Handicap winner at 54kg that today somehow dropped half a kilo to 53.5kg. The visiting mare however was found to have an elevated heart rate and distressed after the race so can be forgiven. Not a strong field at all and more jumpers or future ones than genuine flat performers in this field plus the track turned tricky and biased by this stage of the day. Only the winner gets any credit and for the weight she carried.