This Listed 3yo over 2100m was not a very strong field at all so no shock then that the clear favourite Scorpz was the winner with the perhaps the tight nature of the first three over the line the most surprising aspect. The winners and where they turned for home in race order were fifth (four-off the inside and two lengths from the leader), seventh (two-off the inside and three lengths from the leader), seventh (on the fence and three lengths from the leader), led (one-off the inside and a length from the leader), third (three-off the inside and two lengths from the leader), co-leader (one-off the inside), fourth (six-off the inside and half a length from the leader) and fourth (three-off the inside and half a length from the leader). Scorpz came into this looking for the hattrick, after a maiden mile win then a G3 mile win, so his middle distance test was the only real query and after racing and looking like stayer he got the job done. He raced back and wide then was sent up sixth midrace before striding into fourth and deeper across the top. The colt came up even wider and close up turning for home then on momentum took the lead at the 300m only to be headed narrowly by a rival that had a sharper turn of foot in Rendition. Scorpz dug deep and came back to lead at the 100m and proved too tough in a three-way finish albeit wining only by a head in a sedate 2:10.14. It was his third win from eight starts and his second Blacktype success. The maiden still Tibetan came home resolutely from sitting seventh or eighth the inner and was still fifth at the 200m but got home hard and narrowly missed what would have been his first victory. Rendition, also still a maiden, came from ninth on settling and up to sixth deep across the top before surging swiftly and actually leading narrowly at the 200m. He was headed at the 100m by the eventual winner that had wrested back the lead but he fought gamely and only lost the runner up spot at the 25m. Rendition was beaten just under three-quarters of a length in total and he may be more of a miler too, so ran well above his station. The gap back to fourth was telling as two and a half lengths behind the third finisher was Lochwinnoch that had cleared maidens at his prior outing. Today he raced second then third and then strode up deep turning for home to reach second at the 300m before wilting to fourth at the 100m. Bergamot raced fifth the outer and boxed on okay considering she too had cleared maidens at her prior start. Celestial Nymph kept coming okay from well back to be beaten five lengths and she was hampered at the 500m when a rival ahead went amiss so hers was a much better effort that it can ever read. The gap back to the rest was vast with Peleton the leader compounding to be beaten almost thirteen lengths. He was a one-race winner on debut (counterclockwise) and this was his fifth outing plus prior he had finished fifth at G3 in the race Scorpz won. After this clockwise flop today he would win his next two outings counterclockwise in a row after leading and the key looks to be left-handed with this gelding. This looked a shallow 3yo field as many were maidens or one-win gallopers at best and some has just cleared in fact the dunce class, so Scorpz had to put these away on his record. He would place third in the G1 NZ Derby (2400m) at the end of February next year, a leap year as the date was the 29th, and 2020 has proven so far to be a sad, scary and strange time.