The winner Silent Achiever was a class above these and even in a very timid run race still picked them up and dropped them with 150m to go. The winning time of 2:06.15 was ordinary to say the least and is the third slowest this century with the two worse times being Lashed in 2004 of 2:13.71 on a bottomless heavy bog and Deebee Belle in 2:07.31 on a holding slow track in 2003. Eight mares have won the race now this century and that is more than they have won since the race began in 1975 (five mares namely La Mer (1979), Pays Anne (1981), Riverina Charm (1990), Lurestina (1992) and Fayreform (1998) and one filly (Tidal Light in 1987)). It was the fifth time Roger James has won the race and two of them came as co-trainer namely alongside Jim Gibbs with the champion filly Tidal Light in 1987 and Roysn in 1996 with Ross Taylor. Both those winners had won the G1 NZ Derby the season before and Silent Achiever won the race too but two years prior. The other three winners for James were Gaze (2007) and The Party Stand (2011) plus of course this year. In yet another G1 race at Ellerslie the leader got away with walking them for the vast majority of the race and made it a sprint home turning in basically. The runner up Historian led as he often does and no rival was game enough to apply any pressure so the fact he kicked on the run home to finish second was no surprise. He is unsound and has other issues so the fact he scares other runners and their pilots is in itself perplexing as he can crack badly (he ran a distant last in his race prior when he did not get the front). The third finisher Fortune Knight is proof this is not a genuine G1 at WFA as he is more a handicapper and has only won three races to date. If he can do this at WFA over 2000m then the depth simply is not there and that is factoring in how game this Great Britain bred runner is and how versatile. The sudden quickening near the home turn after a doddle caught several flat footed so they do have some sort of excuse to grasp onto but it is happening so often in New Zealand G1 races you do wonder when the riders will ever learn. Soriano fought on okay by coming the inner and Nashville boxed on again after challenging early the run home. Whether he (Nashville) is a true middle distance type is dubious but it did not help today when the rider after trailing the inner hooked out suddenly three-wide at the 500m in a rush of blood. Shuka got going again late down the outer after being the first to improve deep across the top but he was left flat and last turning in as the speed came into the race. He needs to be tactically ridden differently or else this will keep happening like groundhog day at the gallops unless the race pace is strong to assist him. Etoile Filante and Costume got going again late down the outer in a sprint home and both have it all ahead being 4yo mares. The Solitaire disappointed but being wide then working up second the outer was not her usual racing pattern plus she only moved alongside the leader at the 500m when others strode up. She will show her true worth if ridden quieter and certainly like many in this if the race pace is strong or least not farcical. Silent Achiever would beat this lot every day of the week and no matter if they dawdle or go berserk, as she is simply superior. Michael Walker defiantly said last week the G1 NZ Derby winner Puccini would beat her in this race if he ran in it so hopefully both camps do meet this autumn somewhere to settle the trash talking. The one certainty is a 3yo would not have let Historian walk and therefore the race pace and pressure would have been different for sure. Logic says Silent Achiever could make the Puccini match race another operatic tragedy as she has done it before on the big stage and he is just hype at the moment and a jockey talking/singing it up deluxe.