This G1 1400m at WFA was nowhere near of International standard but it was the best sprint line up available in New Zealand right now. The reason it had local oomph was it contained the winner of The G1 Railway (1200m) on New Years Day and the winner of the G1 Telegraph (1200m) three weeks later plus it had the winner of the first two legs of the Spring Triple Crown over 1400m and 1600m. The track bias all day had winners coming from not too far turning for home and the inside lanes held sway. The nine winners on the card saw two leaders score, five winners sitting handy the inner or outer as in trailing prevail and the two other victors came from sixth and seventh turning for home but no more than three lengths off the leader and both got runs through it must be added too. Start Wondering led out then trailed and once popped off and into second at the 300m started to hunt down the leader. He was a neck away at the 100m then gained the narrow upper hand to lead with 25m to go and ended up scoring by a head in 1:21.22. The time was just over a second (six lengths) faster than the Ratings 65 winner three races earlier that led up to give it more perspective as the times were solid all day bar a first race crawl at 2400m. Start Wondering was only a nose away from winning the G1 Telegraph having won the G1 Railway so should have bagged the Summer Sprint Triple Crown. He is an uncomplicated sprinter-miler in that he has can lead or take up a sit then pounce so is never a track bias victim. The 6yo gelding was today winning his tenth race from just eighteen starts and has clearly found the lesser depth of New Zealand too his liking and a walk in the park. He was a midweek galloper and Saturday support card galloper in Sydney with a Benchmark 91 his biggest achieved success but since coming back to New Zealand has raced five times for three wins and a second. In those five wins he has tellingly scored twice at G1, once at Listed level and been second beaten a nose at G1 too. Natuzzi, a durable 8yo powered home late for second and almost won but he is Listed or G3 standard in Australia at best to give some sprinting realism. He is usually out the back and unleashes but today was keen and fifth or sixth the inner so turned for home a lot closer than normal. Today was his fifth G1 placing in New Zealand over several years and he alone shows the true local sprinting depth when it comes to measuring versus International level, as that after all is the best comparative standard. Saracino the 3yo led up and was run over late into third and beaten less than half a length. He was a G2 winner last Spring in Australia against his own age group then got found out twice at G1 but today showed he can flourish if kept to New Zealand racing but the stakes are so low that might not be fiscally viable nor sensible. Heroic Valour, another 3yo, fought hard for fourth beaten less than a length after sitting outside the leader. He was third at G1 against his own age group at Riccarton over a mile last Spring in the 2000 Guineas and earlier in the day the runner up from that race ran a close second at G1 under WFA over 2000m. Kawi started favourite and missed the kick before recovering a tad to fourth last the inside. He was worked away from the fence before the home turn and reached eighth turning in the third widest runner. Unfortunately no runner had won from the far back all day and that deep on this biased track was a negative too. The five-time G1 winner (in New Zealand it must be noted and with an asterisk therefore) has now not even filled a placing in his last four outings after being found out three times in West Australia. He gets beaten an awful lot as hot favourite and thirteen wins from thirty starts highlights that graphically as that is not the strike rate of a topliner. At this very meeting last year he ran in the G1 2000m at WFA and got beaten into third as a hot favourite and then next time out at Otaki finished fifth as the hotpot over a mile at G1 under WFA. His mantle as the best horse in New Zealand, if that is still true anymore, is purely by default and an indictment on the lack of real depth at WFA in the country at the moment though to be fair it has been poor for quite a while. Kawi and Xtravagant have been badly beaten too many times in Australia to use them as a viable guide anymore with both multiple G1 winners in New Zealand and the latter won this race last year by eight lengths with Natuzzi seventh to give proper perspective. Packing Tycoon a 9yo Hong Kong reject that has won once since coming back to New Zealand and it came here, ran a blinder for sixth beaten under three lengths. This alone tells you this was a local G1 and nowhere near a G1 overseas for this rank outsider to finish so close to so many younger gallopers supposedly superior by miles. Sofia Rosa ran home strongly late for seventh from the back and is a next upper while a late run also came from the handicapper Brighton. Mighty Solomon fought on fairly and he is best under handicap conditions too while Luna Rossa ran on late like a next upper better situated. Perfect Fit was poor in finishing eleventh beaten eight lengths for a G1 placed mare at her last two runs prior. She sat wide working and had to weaken after such an overlander but was gone at the 100m and found later to have mucus in the trachea. Signify was a massive flop having won the G1 Telegraph prior and that now looks like a fluke. He was a tad fired up eighth or ninth but did not run on at all and WFA clearly found him out. To win at G1 and then almost finish last at the same grade next time out points to the WFA factor and that Te Rapa is a very manmade biased track with copious kickback of sand. Watch This Space, a G2 handicap winner, was outclassed and finished last as the second outsider in the field. This was the strongest sprint field that will be held in New Zealand this season but it is still nowhere near International standard with the 8yo Natuzzi nearly winning it and the 9yo Honk Kong reject Packing Tycoon able to finish sixth beaten less than three lengths is a double tell. Packing Tycoon was only a length behind the five-time local G1 winner Kawi at the finish to drive the point home dramatically.