This G2 mile Open Handicap was ruined by late scratchings that came out once Ellerslie became in alarmingly quick time a totally biased bog from the amount of rain that fell equaling the amount of watering that had been done the day before. Add the two waterings (one was a manmade decision and the other natural by the weather gods) and it explains partly why the track collapsed so quickly into a biased quagmire that was very counter-productive to wagering confidence. Visually the track at Ellerslie looked as bad as it became and was behaving biased pre-downpour as the first four races saw winners all come down the middle or wider. The three late scratchings in this mile owing to track conditions saw the hot favourite Love Affair withdrawn, a well backed The Justice League and the winner of this last year in Ruud Not Too was pulled out too. Coldplay was well in at 55kg for a G2 winner and dual G3 winner, as it was the lightest weight she has carried in all her 10 starts at G1 and G2 by 1.5kg. She sat moved up outside the leader early and sat there until talking the front turning for home, much like in how the G2 3yo mile winner scored a few races earlier. The 5yo mare was there to be run over the length of the home straight but kept kicking too well as steered wider for the least hoof-anchoring footing and she in the end held on by a short head in 1:36.75. It was her sixth win in eighteen starts for a respectable win strike rate especially considering this was her first win this season at a sixth outing. Her four wins at G2 and G3 all have come at a mile tellingly. Ronchi again was tardy at the start and settled down last on his own, which for him is unusual as he likes to lead or go up and force things once recovered. The tactic of if you are going to keep muffing the start then might s well be ridden cold almost worked as he stomped home the widest and just missed. He actually got held up early the run home to add insult to injury for his backers when angling out and then was hauled sideways to be seventh at the 200m deepest in clear air. In his last three runs he has been beaten less than a length, less than half a length and now a lip at G3 twice and G2 once after slow starts. Charles Road was a massive third beaten a short head and a short head, after being tardy and settling down well back and wide. He came with big strides the second widest and was lacking total clear air the closing stages having come up sixth deep turning for home. If he had run straight initially the run home then would have won and the runner up getting to the outside of him was the decisive factor over the final stages. Rangipo raced third mostly and came through second turning for home and was a close second until the final few strides. He ended up fourth incredibly beaten a short head, a short head and half a head. Royal Success settled sixth closer in and then came through third turning for home and was a close third until the final few strides. He ended up fifth and was just half a length from the winner plus suffered colic post race, so it was not his day at all. Tiptronic, a three-win 4yo, raced seventh and battled on well to finish sixth beaten two lengths. Von Tunzelman looked the next upper for sure when seventh beaten just over two lengths after sitting back and wide and actually being last turning for home. Watch This Space raced fourth mostly and under 59kg battled on okay to finish eighth beaten just under two and a half lengths in such tricky footing. Battle Time led up and was run over while Prince Of Passion just plugged away the second closest in runner from back on settling. Ocean Emperor looked badly in at 59kg and finished second last beaten just under five lengths. The last runner home in this Yearn was only beaten just over five lengths and not disgraced considering she was a maiden this season in September. The finish was epic with the first five home down the outer separated by half a length but so many had hard luck stories and the footing clearly proved costly for several. The result therefore has an asterisk on it plus with just over five lengths covering first to last at the line it suggests there is much the same muchness about all these in regards to ability parameters. There will be winners galore to come out of the race once they get over running on such an energy sapping track as Ellerslie that does dull runners significantly when they run here on over-watered and/or rain-affected footing.