| R9 ELLERSLIE | 12 March 2016 |
| Barfoot & Thompson Auck. Cup G1 OPEN ($450,000), 3200m 3:21.70 | |
| Race Synopsis: The 2016 G1 Auckland Cup (3200m) may be the last held at this rating or should be as the field this year was incredibly poor and lacking any depth whatsoever.
The fact the winner was a 9yo at $125 just adds race downgrade fuel to the fire.
El Soldado had not won a race for eleven months and in that time had placed third twice only so to easily win at G1 is staggering beyond belief.
After working up to take the lead a lap out when the rest of the field and the riders were walking and all seemed to fear their mounts would not or could not actually stay.
Once let stride along across the top he dropped the stamina hammer on them and never looked like being caught to score by almost a length in 3:21.70.
Rose Of Virginia ran on well for second while the favourite Sacred Master hit the line solidly enough for third.
Sacred Master is only a 4yo so his time will come.
Pentathlon boxed on well for fourth and he too is a 4yo so after a spell can come back with something left in the tank still as a 5yo.
Apache Fireworks was a brave fifth while King Kamada ran on as usual from the back.
Nine lengths covered fifteen of the sixteen runners at the line with just Cheeky Boy dropping right out after a wide trip throughout.
It was a poor field with just one runner rated in New Zealand at 100 in Benzini and he ran on late for tenth as the second favourite.
The race and result will be remembered for the rank outsider winning as a 9yo and easily plus El Soldado (The Soldier) has also had three hurdle runs for two seconds and fourth.
Vintage Crop won the G1 1993 Melbourne Cup (3200M) and had won two hurdle races earlier in his career.
The 2016 Auckland Cup field was like the G2 Wellington Cup and G3 New Zealand Cup fields in that all were similar in depth but each have a different rating.
They cannot all be different level 3200m events so perhaps G2 or G3 for them all the same as none are near a legitimate G1 race whether it be by age of runner or rating or form or distance statistics.
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El Soldado
Jockey: Darryl Bradley
Trainer: Phillip Devcich
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