The most staggering thing about this result was the utter dominance of female gallopers in New Zealand racing now at G1 perfection in 2014 so far. This was the fifth G1 race in New Zealand in 2014 and every single one of them has seen a filly or mare salute. They have come in a set weights and penalties sprint, an open handicap sprint, a 3yo race open to colts, gelding and fillies, an open handicap mile and now an open to all comers at WFA. Costume three starts ago won a Ratings 75 on a concrete presented Trentham track then one week later was a close second in the G1 Thorndon Mile carrying 52kg. The 4yo mare rose 400m today and carried 5kg more but still won, which does not bode well for those that finished behind her. She clearly has developed a lot of late but won her maiden mid-December in 2012 so just over thirteen months later is beating all comers in an open WFA. The depth simply is not here in New Zealand anymore. There were only two G1 winners in the field today with one being the runner up Shuka and the other a dual G1 winner in Historian that finished a clear last. This was not a strong field no matter who won it. Shuka would struggle at G1 and G2 in Victoria and New South Wales for sure but may be competitive in Queensland over winter. He would not be as bad as Ransomed that won an open G1 under WFA last spring at Hastings beating Nashville and Survived and then got demolished badly in a weak G2 at Sandown in Melbourne. Shuka has beaten Ransomed at G3 under WFA and gapped him albeit on heavy ground. Both those runners have a flat spot in their races and that is what will or would be exposed in Melbourne or Sydney for sure and likely in Queensland though come the winter a lot of the real deal gallopers are spelling by then for this spring. The Solitaire was a game and close third and this South Island mare has come up a treat so she will be dangerous wherever lined up, as she is a proven miler and middle distance galloper. Zurella against munched bettors money with a fourth and she has run out of soft G1 races to tackle left-handed remembering she is yet to win clockwise in any grade. The track presented today for the only G1 meeting Te Rapa hosts in the season was an eyesore and chipped up appreciably from the first race. The over-watering all through the week backfired, as it always does when trying to be wiser than the weather, and some rain on Friday and drizzle on Saturday morning caused a massively biased raceday. This happens all the time in New Zealand racing now and with just 22 races a season at G1 it defies belief how so many tracks and clubs will not learn a basic lesson in common sense. Do not gamble for or against the weather as it is a surefire loser. Te Rapa raced one week ago in a far lower key meeting with the rail true and today the rail was out 4m so there is a problem here. The inside for the entire day was quicksand and an anchor around the neck of any horse that stayed too close in therefore wasting bettor money due to manmade bias. The closest winner all day was at least four-off and the sight of many each race scouting to the middle of the track turning for home is a visual eyesore on a G1 day. It is hard to get turnover increasing when the track presented is nowhere near what track people and stewards plus the television hosts then parroting such falsehoods are saying (claiming). Early bird bettors have been treated as third-rate customers and their wagering is pointless as based on total misinformation with the words ‘perfect track’ seemingly now in New Zealand covers a Good3, Dead4 and Dead5 footing. It does not look good either when these track statements are always trying to make something better than it really is and never the other way. The truth costs nothing. Te Rapa is already one of the most biased venues in New Zealand if not the number one as the amount of sand-slitting makes for cosmetic times and many horses slip or fail here plus despise the kickback than any other place. Some water/rain actually helps settle the track down but too much (watering daily then rains more than they expected) and you get quicksand where gravity (it is a science) makes water pool. The inside is where the watering and rain will head as that is the lowest point. The times today started iffy and the best clocking were the two G1 features, as they should be, but the last race winner a Benchmark 75 worryingly ran almost the same time as the G1 1400m winner. Te Rapa was off and several lanes from the inside were total no go slow areas plus remember the rail was out 4m so a large part of the track was in fact a dud beach before the day even got underway. Postmans Daughter was rugged as usual but poorly ridden in losing her place so badly while The Glitzy One was reasonable all things considered and she is a stablemate of the third finisher. Brave Centaur did not get the 2000m though to be fair after leading he got attacked midrace and headed by a near 50-1 shot that had no hope. Dancing Attendance was the rank outsider that looped the field midrace and took the front before folding the run home. The ride to be charitable was ambitious but in reality inept as what the mare did under handicap conditions does not work at G1 under WFA when carrying 4kg more. Aspen for a 3yo and winner of just one race copped one of the worst rides of the season at G1 by Leith Innes and the baby will sleep well. Three wide the whole way with no cover at his first 2000m attempt is the proverbial gutbuster. Historian was shocking and in reverse before the home turn with not leading his first issue but it was noted he showed signs of lameness in the front after the race. He is a big horse that has had health issues mar his career and every start with him is a bonus. The winning time of Costume was 2:02.91 and this century is just the eleventh best time of fifteen runnings so was not anything special at all. The track record is 1:58.8 but that came before it was heavily sand-slitted so really only times from 2003 onwards should really matter now. This decade in five runnings we have seen three female winners with Veloce Bella (2010) and Shez Sinsational (2012) the other duo. There were four female winners from the 2000-2009 decade, so the facts about female domination are starting to mass in feature races with three already and just halfway through the current decade.