This Listed 1550m Open Handicap had a weight spread of 6kg (from 60kg down to 54kg) and was run on a tricky wet and sticky presented Awapuni track. It was a dubious Listed event as hardly any of the field were actually Open grade or near it and seven of the runners were mares unsurprisingly chasing soft blacktype. Six of the eight races today saw the winners turning for home in the first three and the two different results from that obvious bias were the opening event, a low grade staying race around two turns and this event. The pace in this race set up the backrunners and also because so many runners made a sweeping run very deep at the same time across the top causing several to lose position therefore momentum, which was everything the run home. Slimline, a 5yo mare on the minimum, settled down last and then improved deep before the home turn and reached seventh turning in with clear air wider out. Her surge saw the mare reach fourth at the 200m and then come over the top of them and lead with 25m to run. She scored by half a length in 1:33.91 to record her fourth win from twenty-six starts and at her prior start to today had won a Benchmark 75 (three grades at least inferior supposedly on paper). It was her first run at blacktype and being just a three-win mare prior she normally would not get a start or a crack at a Listed event unless the field was lacking in numbers and weak. Rain-affected footing or wet ground (slow and heavy conditions) are what she needs and with eleven placings in the record she is a shy winner and more a professional placegetter so got a big result in this. The weakness of this Listed event today meant something was going to get lucky for a blacktype win and two runners were going get lucky for the blacktype placings. The domination of female gallopers in New Zealand across the board is a given as they are always numerically the favoured sex to shine being able to run in many more races than males and they compete for better stakes and get sex relief in the weights. Beefeater sat back and raced rather keen before being swept up fourth wider out turning in with the 4yo gelding having his chance but the 3kg he gave the winner proved a bridge too far for the four-race winner. Bronsteel, a four-win mare, finished a game third after being wide in the midfield throughout albeit with cover at times but hers was even more meritorious as she had to make a move deeper before the home turn as others charged up early. She in effect had to move earlier than wanted after doing overtime in the running. Tessastock, a two-win mare, was a colossal fourth considering the way she was ridden when second up from a spell and facing many more seasoned types. She settled down wide in the rear trio then was set alight to loop the field four-wide at the 800m and attack for the lead across the top before getting the front nearing the home turn. The 4yo mare was a sitting duck and got overhauled at the 300m but fought well for fourth and she should have been in the money if not winning with a more tactically timed surge. Shadow Cast was boxing on after being handy then losing his place near the home turn while Cassie Anne was running on late for sixth after settling back on the inner. Henree Winkler was another that took off very deep across the top a long way out and paid the price in the run home. Piece Of Kate was the unsung effort in the race when eighth beaten five and a half lengths and she is a next upper with a riding change or handled better. An apprentice rode her and that in a blacktype event is an unnecessary risk but this 4yo mare was wide in the midfield then lost her place only to be the deepest runner across the top trying to improve. The way she kept coming the closing stages was brave and the lengths she lost or got cost by covering so much extra ground today showed she can be blacktype competitive now mature enough. Petite En Jeu worked too hard early wide while Heavens Keep lost his place across the top and could not quicken thereafter. Endure can be forgiven as not much went her way after an awkward start then being used up to recover the inside handy only to be held up across the top and lose her place badly. Danza Lad, the 8yo wet tracker, led but when attacked by a wall of runners across the top gave in meekly to drop out before the home turn and was last at the 200m. This looked a gift Listed blacktype result for three runners at the finish as the field had no depth and many had only won a handful of races so it was not a serious event. The wave of early runs made across the top gassed a few of them and caused some shuffling back too of runners that had been sitting handy and this clearly skewed the result as well. It should be noted too that a Benchmark 75 earlier in the day ran almost two seconds (twelve lengths) inferior time and that showed that this event was run at a pace and pressure to set up the closers.