This G2 1600m for 3yo fillies looked on paper a defining moment for the season so far but the dodgy Ellerslie track dulled that deluxe on a day where not one favourite won. Many riders said their mounts did not cope on the off footing in a track that misbehaves markedly when a little rain happens and of course the watering in the days prior just makes things trickier and the inevitable come to fruition quicker. Contessa Vanessa has been luckless this season so far but after sitting in the trail she was going well coming up to the home turn only for the dreaded blocked curse to reappear. Today however instead of another hard luck tale at the 200m the gaps appeared and through she drove at the 100m to get up and win by a head in 1:35.53. It was her first win this season having last saluted as a juvenile on a bog track in June. Her record now reads three wins from thirteen starts and now she has a G2 on the resume, which is a golden broodmare ticket for herself and the immediate family. Kapoor is a professional runner up it seems and after today her record this season in six starts reads a maiden win and five times second incredibly. She sat fourth the outer and went up to take a narrow lead at the 250m and was still in front at the 100m only to be nabbed again. Her G2 second today beaten a head goes with two Listed seconds earlier this season beaten a neck and half a length. Gris Dame at $54 a win finished third beaten a head and a long head and came with a stout surge from fifth the inner. She looks a middle distance and Oaks type already. Spring Heat the favourite even missed place but her reputation is still intact as the track was very biased and behaving badly plus she was beaten less than a length and ran outwards the closing stages. Her momentum was impeded when going through a tight gap at the 200m and a left-hand whip rider may be needed when racing clockwise as that veering out the closing stages was costly in blacktype terms. Lilly The Pink was a game fifth after being wide then moving up midfield across the top and then looming into second at the 200m. She had only just come out of maidens so has good scope for the rest of this season. O’Hara was wide on the pace early then shared the lead the outer midrace to the home turn and did not weaken right out so the effort to battle on was not too bad. Sandrine settled back and got going very late after finding slammed doors ahead at the 200m. Hasahalo did not let go the run home down the outer and her effort alone told you the track today was very ordinary as she had won prior a G1 mile by daylight and could beat most of these in her sleep. She sat back and was wide but always trying to stay near the favourite Spring Heat in the running and make it a match of motors the run home but she could not ping whatsoever in the tricky footing. Her effort is a total forgive. Charli Rose is not competitive unless the footing is very wet while Trail Blazer was poor after a nose defeat prior at G3 and that race itself is looking very dubious indeed bar perhaps the winner now in Hong Kong. Princess Rihanna led and then shared the pace from the 800m until the early the run home and was headed before stopping badly. She was found to have bled and is banned for three months. This race is a total forgive for so many reasons but first and foremost is the Ellerslie track was so biased and tricky with the watering in the lead up and then a little rain on the day causing betting chaos. So many proven runners flopped badly and would not stride out to the best of their ability the run home all day. The 3yo depth is troubling still for both sexes as nothing has proven dominant or even able to hold their form and that still applies alarmingly as the New Year beckons. The line goes through this meeting as results and footing are way too iffy to be trusted.