The track presented at Arawa Park was a total biased bog from the outset and some of the margins back to the beaten runners were of bus stop distances. The eight race winners today turning for home were in order second, led, third, led, led, led, second and led. The farthest away any placegetter today came from was fifth turning for home, so the track was outrageously biased and the margins some proven runners got beaten by was simply astounding. It meant the track was so bad and biased today that a massive amount of runners every race had no hope of not just wining but filling a second or third placing and that is a total turn off for bettors, as it is not racing and worse odds than even a chook raffle. This G3 Open Handicap over 2200m drew a poor field of only a dozen runners and likely this was the worst field that has lined up in this race ever, so it may struggle to remain a Group race and even Listed level seems excessive. Highlad carried 60kg to win this by three lengths after racing seventh then swimming through ominously into fourth at the 800m and then up second across the top. He led turning for home and never looked like getting run down to clock 2:31.47 and win his eighth race in twenty-two starts and this Australian bred outstayed and outswum his opposition. Storming The Tower, which prior to today had won a maiden and jumpers highweight ran on for second after being ninth early then into sixth midrace and fifth turning for home. The rising 10yo prior to that jumpers flat win before the second today had not won a race since June of 2016 and before that he ironically won this very race. The runner up and fifth finisher in that 2016 event both ran today and ran seventh beaten almost twenty-four lengths and eleventh beaten fifty-six lengths. Third home today was Joe Cargo, that had won a Ratings70 (five or more grades inferior to G3) prior and the five-win galloper in three attempts at Open Class has not paid a dividend. Today he recorded a G3 third and that is simply staggering. Hunta Pence finished fourth after racing third and then leading across the top and still being second with 200m to go. Peso a three win galloper led then was headed into third across the top but never gave it away completely and was fifth at the line beaten less than five lengths. Adriatic Pearl raced fifth or sixth wide and one-batted away for sixth beaten six lengths. The gap back to seventh from sixth was incredibly almost eighteen lengths as so many runners were down to a mud walk. A last start Open Handicap winner by five and a half lengths in Blue Breeze was today beaten over thirty-five lengths, so bettors cannot be blamed for fleeing with footing like this. The favourite Richie McHorse prior to today had won a Listed Open Handicap (and it should be noted the winner today ran fifth in it beaten five lengths) and in this ran last beaten almost fifty-nine lengths. Richie McHorse when he won that Listed race got 4.5kg from Highlad and today got 4kg, yet the turnaround in margins was a mind blowing almost sixty-four lengths. The track today was not fair for racing and bettors nowadays will not play on such a biased bog as the form turnarounds are head-spinning and above all they want a chance for their money rather than bog snorkeling and dart throwing. The race before this the winner Touch Of Silver in a Ratings 65 (supposedly five or more classes inferior) ran 2:27.33 (almost four seconds faster than Highlad or almost twenty-four lengths superior) and won by fourteen and a half lengths. Touch Of Silver prior today had run left-handed four times and never paid a dividend then comes out and daylights them. This G3 race is basically irrelevant as the footing was that bad and that biased so had nothing to do with form even if the winner was the youngest horse in the race but carrying the most weight. Bettors in New Zealand now have many months in a row to be 'looking forward' to bottomless and biased presented bog tracks and are expected to wager on them with confidence. It is a recipe for disaster and turnover turmoil as wet tracks in New Zealand now cross the span sadly of Autumn, Winter and Spring and even Summer sees some over-watered bogs when it rains. Something has to change and change fast as bettors have more choice these days and do not need to risk their money on poorly presented biased bog tracks.