This Listed 2200m event was an ordinary field and just ten went to the post in atrocious heavy footing where some runners on the day got beaten obscene amounts. Jochen Rindt, which had never run before in an Open Handicap let alone a blacktype race and had won just four races, scored in this by eleven lengths. The rising 7yo gelding led and swam clear in the bog to clock 2:35.53 and win his fifth race from twenty-four starts. No surprise that all his wins have come on slow or heavy footing but to win by this far when out of his grade by miles was staggering in itself and showed the folly of the footing. It was ten and a half months ago that he last won a race, when capturing a Benchmark 75 mile with his customary on pacer style. Pump Up The Volume settled wide in the rear and when most were starting to paddle badly swept around into third deep across the top and then reached second chasing in vain before the home turn. Second Innings got back on the inner then worked off and swept into second across the top before too starting to paddle when third turning for home and losing ground. He was beaten sixteen lengths. Perfect Start plugged away the inner and did get into second midrace before struggling and she was beaten twenty-seven lengths at the line. Katie McKeen, which had led and won at her last two starts to score by thirteen lengths and seven lengths respectively, never ever got near the front and settled down seventh the outer. She was a million-to-one thereafter and staggered home fifth beaten thirty-five lengths to likely have bettors that rely on racing patterns rightly scratching their heads. The rest got beaten further and further with a G1 placed mare Celebrity Miss down to a walk and eighth beaten almost forty-four lengths. Reka, the last start winner of an Open Handicap in a typical Trentham bog, today finished last and was beaten almost ninety-two lengths to confirm the farce of the footing today. The cruel irony is the club elected to race here and likely copped a turnover shellacking of horrendous proportions. Overall this race is irrelevant and untrustworthy such was the footing as so many never went a yard in the bottomless bog. Also the winner won by daylight and is no spring chicken and had not won a race for almost eleven months plus has never run in this class before let alone a Listed race. It is more an indictment on the lack of wet track stamina and depth in New Zealand flat racing at the moment with jumping races consistently offering a higher chance of stakes return albeit with much more risk.