Sacred Falls remained unbeaten and six-from-six but got one heck of a scare and may have come back to the field in the three-year-old crop, so his spell is timely. He was ridden cold in a race that set up swampers and when he was asked to explode the response was super but the filly from behind him in Oasis Rose almost did a slingshot pass. It was an equine version of KERS in Formula One racing. The winning time of Scared Falls was 1:34.95 and that is the fifth fastest time this century and the twelfth fastest time overall in the event. The fastest winning time is Surfers Paradise of 1:34.12 in 1990 and he would go on and win a G1 Cox Plate as a four-year-old. Leith Innes was winning his first 2000 Guineas and it maintained an awesome record for North Island trained horses. There have only been two winners trained in the South Island since 1985 so the Northerners own this race. Mark Walker has prepared three winners of the race this century and now is training in Singapore at Kranji. Opie Bosson with four wins in the race is the most successful rider. If the boom on Sacred Falls is for real then the filly Oasis Rose, which was a top five filly this season so far, has now become one of the rising stars. She is Australian bred by Oasis Dream from the French dam Isaure. Nine of the thirteen runners today were Australian bred which should be very alarming for New Zealand breeders and vendors. The winning sire O’Reilly has had a ripping spring so far in New Zealand with his overall G1 statistics now showing an impressive thirteen individual G1 winners. The first two home came from the back while the third finisher Warhorse sat handy and kicked well the run home, so to be beaten half a length was very commendable indeed. He alone versus Sacred Falls from their last meeting has pulled back almost four lengths, so is it he improving or the hotpot is not as dominant anymore? Canny Franco was the first South Islander home and a game fourth albeit a gap away from the top trio, while Platinum Kingdom was luckless from the 600m to the 300m and still found the line. Magic Shaft ridden differently showed he is close to winning again and Southern Lord was a better seventh than it can ever read. Irish Rebel can be forgiven as he was hampered turning for home just when the eventual quinella in the race unleashed outside him. Diabolical tactics adopted by the stablemates Neo (may need cut in the ground and is by a swim sire) and Mac Orla, which gassed each other early clear of the field then the latter went six lengths in front by itself. They could have had the perfect lead and trail sit with no pressure looking at how many riders grabbed hold early but hindsight is never wrong! No excuse however for gassing each other and then Neo had to tow the field up to the tearaway Mac Orla from the top to the home turn, so put it went from bad to worse. Several nice horses involved and most will be more furnished come the autumn. The fillies look to have the numbers of more quality in the three-year-old ranks and that is no surprise as this has been the norm in New Zealand for quite a while owing to the racing structure. Oasis Dream if she backs up in the G1 1000 Guineas (1600m) a week later against just her own sex will answer many questions if victorious about the colt Sacred Hills. If she is beaten the back up factor will be put forward but that is dismissing that there are several very good fillies in the 1000 Guineas with upside galore themselves. Jury still out with Sacred Falls despite an unbeaten season as the lone filly in the 2000 Guineas today just about beat it from behind fair and square.