This Listed mile was decimated by scratchings of the expected main combatants because the track was gelatinous and an awful unhelpful holding texture. The winner Admiral was having a first look at the mile and blacktype yet won like Phar Lap and in fact scored by more than double the biggest margin of his career. The 5yo gelding led and just got let run along across the top before deadset bog-snorkelling clear the run home to score by five lengths in 1:39.86. The time was almost eighteen lengths superior to any other recorded on the day so this was some win for an at the time three-win gelding having his twenty-fourth start in Listed grade over a mile. In his prior outing he led up in an Open Handicap carrying 50kg over 1400m finished fifth of seven runners albeit beaten less than two lengths. Today he was up in grade and 3kg and an extra 200m yet spaced them, so paying just $17 a win seemed unders for sure. Bettors rightly were left scratching their heads as this was some turnaround and makes a mockery of blacktype in New Zealand but also the Pukekohe track is still not trusted anymore. Blizzard ran on well from the midfield and reached a distant second at the 200m while Willie Cazals, a 9yo, got home late like he is a middle distance away from winning again. Platinum Command the even money favourite got too for back on settling and was an absurd distance behind the winner across the top so could not ever win. The visiting mare ran on well but far too late for fourth beaten just over seven lengths. Biologist was fifth after being the unfortunate chaser trying to bring the rest of the field up near the winner so the effort was reasonable. The rest got beaten over eleven lengths and up to just over sixteen lengths as known wet trackers that found the footing just too gluey and energy-sapping. The result looks totally untrustable visually and on paper as Admiral created so many firsts in one outing when just a three-win galloper from almost two dozen starts. Blizzard and Willie Cazals look middle distance winners if not next time out then very soon. Platinum Command has been an iron lady of racing this year so whether she can still keep going is debatable but no doubting her durability though today she had no hope on settling as a clear favourite.