| R8 HASTINGS | 22 September 2018 |
| Windsor Park Plate G1 OPEN ($183,000), 1600m 1:35.39 | |
| Race Synopsis: The track at Hastings was incredibly manmade biased towards on pace and the inside all day and the worst it has ever been presented statistically from a fairness perspective.
Nothing won all day from very far away so threequarters of every field at least had no chance of winning whatsoever before the barriers opened.
The winners and where they turned for home all day in order were led, third (trail), sixth (three lengths away three back the inner), second, third, fifth (three lengths away from three back the inner), third, third and fifth (two and a half lengths away).
No double digit draw won all day and of the nine-race card gates the one and two stalls won five races with the three winners from the ace crucially including the two blacktype races (one at G1 and one at G3).
The track was palpably unfair to so many each race and it had nothing to do with race pace as some events today went hard and others more measured or tepid, so that is not a convenient excuse to use.
Manmade biased tracks on G1 racedays is unfortunate all around (bettors, owners, breeders, riders, trainers, etc) as these pinnacle days are supposed to be just that and not blatantly obvious unfair venues.
The blatant manmade bias on display from the outset today saw Melody Belle from the ace and with tactical speed start a clear favourite after earlier in the week the market for three runners being quite tight and she was not then the top pick or best backed.
Her other two main rivals either drew awkwardly and both did not go forward naturally so were dead on arrival at the gates regarding being a win proposition.
They could not win the race no matter the tempo as the Hastings track was too manmade biased towards one racing pattern.
Melody Belle trailed the leaders on the inner (the golden spot all day) and her rider had such a handful of horse near the home turn he pushed out with serious intent to be three-off turning in.
The 4yo mare pounced to lead at the 300m and put a gap on them very quickly to in fact embarrass these at the 150m only for the rider to do something that is ill-advised unless you want to turn a certain win into a possible defeat.
Shafiq Rusof sat up and got ready to pose for the photo inside the final 50m but after taking his right hand of the reigns to showboat for posterity he lost balance the final 25m and had to regrip awkwardly to stop a Youtube permanent moment for life eventuating.
Rusof could have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory and the most surprising thing was the Stipes panel on the day of John Oatham (Chairman), Neil Goodwin, Darin Balcombe and Brian Bateup staggeringly only reprimanded him.
His showing off near the line almost became the story of the race and whole day bar the absurd manmade bias, which ironically ensured the win of Melody Belle.
It was her eighth win from fifteen starts and third at G1 (one as a juvenile and two now at WFA versus allcomers as a 4yo mare).
She is unbeaten this season with a G2 win at WFA then the brace of G1 wins at WFA and manmade track bias has helped her cause greatly at Te Rapa and now Hastings.
Melody Belle has too much ping for anything at the moment in New Zealand, where the depth is very dubious and has been for a very long time, so she is cashing in deluxe with her racing pattern.
Savvy Coup ran home strongly from the back when second up and looks right on target for her main aim, the G1 2040m here in two weeks time.
Wyndspelle, which was nowhere near a WFA galloper when tried in Australia whatsoever and in fact never won a race in eleven starts, ran a solid third after being eighth the outer then moving wide across the top.
The fact he is G1 competitive now back in New Zealand is very telling indeed.
Seventh Up, a 9yo, ran a sound fourth after settling well back and then coming through on the inside quickly and he reached second at the 150m.
Our Abbadean, ran an eyecatcher for fifth and if Savvy Coup looks the one for the G1 over 2040m here in two weeks this mare is the quinella for sure and might beat her.
She came from last and ran home stoutly and was still ninth at the 100m, so the rise to middle distance will be a massive plus for the 6yo mare.
Hiflyer flattered to deceive yet again and his one dimensional racing pattern is part of the problem, as he needs several things to go his way every time to salute.
The manmade track bias from the outer ensured he could not win this drawn out and going back and he was in fact battling the last 50m when fifth to end up sixth beaten five lengths.
He is becoming a bit of a money muncher and so is Scott Base that finished seventh in this beaten five and a half lengths.
Scott Base was like Hiflyer no chance whatsoever the moment the ugly manmade bias reared its head from the opening race and remained all day.
He is a closer and a swamper plus being hampered at the start and settling down tenth never helped his cause.
The only 4yo male in this field incredibly (where are they all in New Zealand at the moment?) was blocked by a traffic wall at the 300m and when finally clear air appeared he kept coming okay.
He will enjoy the rise in trip in two weeks but race pace and manmade track bias can always beat him.
His stablemate ran third today but he is a far superior horse to Wyndspelle and that shows the misleading result today for so many of these.
Francaletta ran on okay late after a wide run in the rear so has gone super in two of three runs this campaigns and the miss came on the dreadful Te Rapa track (since closed for much needed repairs and excessive sand removal).
Close Up had the draw and run to be in the photo and looked a likely fourth a 100m out then the rider Leith Innes eased him down very abruptly at the 75m.
He told the stipes he thought the 9yo has gone amiss but the gelding came back to scale fluent in his action and was cleared fully post-race too by the vet, so it was another layer of crazy visual stuff happening the final stages of the race.
Contessa Vanessa was used up wide early and then took the lead but then punctured the run home and is not competitive at this level under WFA against allcomers it does seem at the moment.
Having an apprentice rider on in a G1 at WFA is a non-no and maybe she wants middle distance but also she might not be good enough this season too.
Until she is ridden by a senior rider at this level then a final and definitive call cannot be made on the 4yo mare.
Ocean Emperor will sleep well after a nightmare trip fifth and wide in the open and in some respects did well to be only beaten just over seven lengths.
He was supposed to be Cox Plate bound this campaign to tackle Winx but she is not losing any sleep over him after being shown up badly in a Listed mile at Kranji in Singapore over May and now two G1 at WFA defeats in New Zealand.
Dreams are free but race payments for the Cox Plate are not chump change and he is no hope in it anyway plus he would not even make the field by a long way at the moment.
Lizzie L'Amour ran a shocker, as she is more prone to doing these days it seems, after racing fourth the outer and outside the eventual winner.
Shadows Cast had the draw and right run on the inner to be a hope but he is not a G1 at WFA galloper and more a handicapper.
However he did get held up and in a tight spot at the 250m and made contact with a rival but how he was going at the time is debatable.
Sensible Princess stopped to run last beaten fourteen lengths after sitting outside the leader.
She was outclassed and G1 at WFA versus allcomers may be beyond the 6yo mare.
This result was not a true indication of the current pecking order regarding WFA in New Zealand as Melody Belle is dominant now as a sprinter-miler but she has had draws and manmade track bias in her favour each time this season.
The bigger hitters are already in Australia and where are the male 4yo's in New Zealand at this level should be asked, as the quinella today was the 4yo mares of Melody Belle and Savvy Coup.
That pair were well ahead of the rest but give Scot Base another chance and you have a 4yo trifecta trying to take over the mantle, as it should be at this level.
Melody Belle will not try to create history and run in the G1 2040m in two weeks to become the first ever to win the Triple Crown but will be freshened up and target the two G1 sprints over Summer in the Railway and Telegraph under set weights and penalties.
She should target fillies and mares races either in the Sydney Autumn or Queensland Winter carnivals as Australian blackype matters so much more.
She has been tried in Australia four times for a G2 juvenile win on a bog in Queensland and three misses (one more in Queensland as a 2yo then two misses as a 3yo filly this year late Summer and early Autumn in Sydney).
No horse has ever won the Hawke's Bay Triple Crown but Jamie Richards could be the first trainer to do so with Our Abbadean giving him a right royal chance.
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The 2018 running of the Group 1 Windsor Park Plate.
