This G1 1400m at WFA had two late scratchings due to the over-watered Te Rapa track presented and both were on pacers so the race pattern was thoroughly affected by this manmade caused disaster. The winner of the race was another 3yo, so the older horses had their reputations today demolished under WFA by a filly at 2000m and then this colt Xtravagant at 1400m. Xtravagant won by an incredible eight lengths hard on the fence in 1:21.92 and the daring tactic his connections worked out after checking the track pre-race came up three tangerines on the G1 jackpot pokie. The colt in his career so far has won five of eight starts and three of them have been winning margins of seven and a quarter lengths, eighth and a half lengths and eighth lengths with the latter two coming at G1. He does like to hand out a thrashing and daylight should be his stable name as when on the rail and with no rivals around or alongside the colt just runs through the line. Not many if any dual G1 winners would have their first two top tier successes combine for a staggering sixteen and a half lengths. How much of the win was Te Rapa having presented such an abysmal and manmade biased track and how much was the colt when fully fit, flowing and with nothing near him? Hard on the inside also provided the last race clear cut all the way winner too so it was a fast lane strip and not used earlier in the day by any runners much if at all plus the track with so much sand-slitting was drying out. The time was about seven lengths faster than the much inferior Ratings 75 race prior won by a mare fresh up after a bleeding attack so a good but not a world beating difference. Vespa ran a game albeit distant race but gave away at least five lengths scouting wide with the rest of the field and the winning 3yo also at WFA had a 3.5kg less to carry. It all adds up when one hugs the rail running along and the other is steered wider across the top to the home turn. Recite ran on late for third in her first show of form at this level ever as the last time she displayed G1 form came as a 3yo filly. Sacred Star ran on late for fourth from an inside draw after working away from the fence caused him to get well back so what the rider would do to sit hard on the back of Xtravagant and draft the 3yo if given another chance. The trainer and connections of Sacred Star must be apoplectic as in three G1 sprints this season over summer he has struck awful and biased wet tracks each time. Two of them were majority nature caused but Te Rapa today was manmade caused so you can understand the palpable frustration. Antonio Lombardo ran on well late from the back and the next upper is Volkstok’n’barrel that was the widest runner turning in. Natuzzi wilted late and Ryan Mark did so too worryingly while Allez Eagle compounded from being on the pace and wide as did Trepidation. Xtravagant showed by hugging the rail while Allez Eagle and Trepidation went wide what it means figuratively as he beat them home by fifteen and a half lengths and twenty-one lengths respectively. Sports Illustrated knuckled over at the start then slipped and never hit out thereafter and has been retired so it was all happening in this race. Xtravagant will head to the G1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington in a few weeks and to see if he can run his own age group ragged in what is often a stallion-making race. The clash with the higher staked Sydney 3yo race has diluted each race as the good ones will not all be in one place ever again whilst the date clashes continue. The colt running along at Flemington will be a sight to see but expect the track not to help him as much as Te Rapa did. It is a shame with two 3yos winning the G1 WFA races against the older horses that the changing of the guard is clouded by the manmade track bias and track reading farce officially released as fact on the morning. There are just 22 G1 races (which is too many for the size and depth of racing in New Zealand) but the odds on all the track and racedays these top shelf events are held having track bias and watering problems is simply unacceptable and staggering. Of all the days in recent years this has happened disastrously at Hastings, Trentham, Ellerslie, Te Aroha, Awapuni, Riccarton and now Te Rapa for the G1 slam. The big days are the shop windows to grow a sport that is down to 5% or less interest in New Zealand and should not be ways to reduce the audience and customer base further as that is simply worst business practice.