The G3 Wellington Cup for 2017 drew one of the weakest, if not the worst ever line up, and the winner was a mare that had not saluted since December 2015 Savaria, a now 5yo mare, had not won a race for eternity and in fact had thirteen starts since her last win before the success today and been placed just five times in that period. She was ridden back of the midfield quietly and then was angled wide near the home turn to straighten up the third deepest out and about to be let rip. The mare reached eighth at the 200m and then passed a plethora of her rivals the next 100m to take a narrow lead to hold on by half a head in 3:21.90. It was her fifth win in twenty-four starts and her third blacktype success after winning the G1 NZ Oaks (2400m) and a first equal in a Listed 3yo event the start prior back in the Autumn of 2015. Jacksstar settled down last and came home strongly down the outer for a close second under 58kg, which meant in his last four starts starts since December he has finished first or second only. Perfect Start at $50 ran a solid third and this mare had last won a race at this carnival way back in 2015 and the start after that finished second in this very race albeit when at G2 over 2400m. Fanatic sat back buried on the inner then worked off across the top before surging centre track to lead at the 200m narrowly. The mare was outfinished late to be beaten just under a length and a half and she has a link with the winner Savaria as both won the G1 NZ Oaks (2400m) on this track albeit she was promoted from second over the line. Mister Impatience, which won this race last year at $28, had since in four starts finished third last, second last, last and fourth last, ran a sound fifth beaten just under a length and three-quarters. Remember he won the race carrying 52.5kg when it was G2 and it now rightly has been demoted to G3 but staggeringly he carried 58kg in this to show how dreadful the field truly was. He was incredibly out of form and rose 6.5kg which sums up the race that could well struggle to remain G3 looking at the poor field and result. Zambezi Warrior and Snow Secret ran honest races with the latter held up at a key moment halfway up the run home. Pop ‘N’ Scotch was grinding away the inside for eighth and his last win came in June of 2015 in a Benchmark 80 at Ipswich to show again show just how bad and out of form this field in the majority really was. Clarify wilted late after racing handy and then launching an attack before the home turn while Echezeaux was seen running on late from well back. Antonio was one-batting away for eleventh and then the gaps got bigger and bigger as many staggered home outstayed and outclassed or unable to carry the weight allotted. Alinko Prince and Bloodstream, two of the few runners in form, never fired a shot under 57.5kg and 58.5kg respectively while Sly Romance carrying 57.5kg stopped across the top and finished last beaten over thirty lengths. It is hard to believe a worse field will line up again in this already demoted event that but for having what looks a now totally out of place a 250K stake could well drop even lower. The fall from grace for this once proud and meaningful plus impactful race has been eye-watering to say the least from a serious G1 3200m event to a now substandard G3. The Wellington Cup is now jockeying with the G3 NZ Cup on the same level and that is hard to accept plus the G1 Auckland Cup is demotion bound as it too keeps drawing a poor quality field. The once famed 3200m Cup races over Spring and Summer in New Zealand have become almost irrelevant and are now a better future source for jumpers sadly. Kiwi won this race in 1983 in 3:20.29 and went on to win the G1 Melbourne Cup that year with a phenomenal surge from last under the urgings of Jimmy Cassidy. The chestnut gelding by Blarney Kiss beat the gifted Maurita in the 1983 Wellington Cup and in his Flemington etched in memory triumph he defeated Noble Comment and Mr Jazz in 3:18.9. The three decades since have seen the Wellington Cup get to the point today where none of the runners would make the Melbourne Cup field or get anywhere near doing so. The G3 NZ Cup is on a par or stronger now and Perfect Start, which finished second in it in the Spring carrying 53kg, rose to 56.5kg today when third and that says it all. The era of the great New Zealand 3200m event is over and once the Auckland Cup is rightly demoted after many years of poor quality fields and results, the trifecta of downgrades will be set in stone.