The G1 NZ Oaks was once the best guide to New Zealand racing at all levels but particularly in handicap and WFA blacktype races the following season and after. The race is now losing steam and significance like a boiler with a big hole in it and it is solely due to the NZ G1 Derby being moved to a first week in March date since 2006. That move alone for Ellerslie has demolished the credibility of two Trentham feature races now (the Wellington Cup is now G2 and down from 3200m to 2400m because it is a the lead up for the G1 Auckland Cup) and now sadly the Oaks is getting the 3yo filly dregs. The NZ Derby when run on Boxing Day, as it had been done for decades of success, only saw a few fillies win it and they had to be the real deal. Now the race has been moved the best fillies are going for it and winning and never consider the Oaks anymore plus the few that try to run in both are a shell of their ability trying to peak twice at 2400m. The future calendar planning has greatly weakened the NZ racing season and those that allowed it and did it will be responsible for massive turnover drops and now Group racing credibility. These things have repercussions and do more damage than good almost always when done haphazardly without a jot of thought for ramifications. Missing today were the Derby runner up Rising Romance and the now having a break quality filly Spellbinder plus a couple of other more serious fillies than what ran today at Trentham namely Hera and Costa Viva. The latter two names beat home Rising Romance and Costa Viva was a G1 winner over a mile in the spring. She may not have been considered an Oaks filly but then second last in that race and beaten over ten lengths was Miss Mossman, the Oaks winner easily today. The Oaks is now not getting the real good fillies and the odd ones that try to run in the Derby and it too are often over the top. The second tier fillies are now targeting the Oaks and that is not and never should be the aim of such a time-honoured and significant race. It will take several people to admit being totally wrong to correct these blatant mistakes in changing the racing calendar for the whim of one track over another. It has been such an unmitigated disaster that sponsors soon peel away from a G1 race it if has been diluted markedly and made far less meaningful and worthy. Miss Mossman won easily today and is a big strapping daughter of the Vinery stallion Mossman. She is also out of an Australian dam but is considered New Zealand bred by a quirk only horse racing seemingly allows. The dam when in foal was sent to one of two Gerry Harvey owned studs in New Zealand to foal and be put up for sale and Miss Mossman only made 25K. The last two winners of the NZ Oaks have been in reality Australian bred fillies (More Than Sacred in 2013) and that is another sign of self-weakening of the local product. The soft fence run throughout helped Miss Mossman clearly in a fast run race so any suspect stayers, and there were an awful lot this year, got found out and were down to a walk the run home. The winning time of 2:27.78 is the third fastest this century and only the ill fated Wharite Princess (2:26.88) in 2004 and Bramble Rose (2:27.71) in 2003 have gone faster. Several winners of this race in recent years certainly have not a good record of winning again just once more let alone performing afterwards. Jungle Rocket (2009) and Midnight Oil (2011) and Artistic (2012) never won another race though to be fair to the middle name she never raced again through injury and setback. The two best performers afterwards so far are the Australian bred winners Princess Coup (2007) and More Than Sacred (2013) so that augurs well for Miss Mossman. The stamina credentials of most if not all of these are in doubt even allowing for the slick time. The Derby winner Puccini clocked 2:28.39 (three and a half lengths inferior to Miss Mossman time) and the runner up filly Rising Romance was unlucky so she would have decimated the Oaks today had that been her local target. The gaps in the Oaks today were huge with fifth home beaten ten lengths and eighth home beaten over twenty lengths and the last runner home (a filly that ran in the Derby) was beaten forty-eight lengths. Miss Selby the runner up had every possible chance while the third finisher Rock Diva was a decent effort indeed after settling back. Chop Chop did okay considering the rocky run in the rear trio she had for most of the race. Moozoon did not stay nor did most behind her though the South Island filly Include that caused such a fast time can be forgiven. Include over raced and if she learns to settle may well manage middle distance okay. Miss Mossman if she goes to Australia to try her luck against her own age and/or sex will settle several things regarding race worth and actual stamina and G1 depth of the 2014 NZ Oaks. Her trainers in New Zealand John Sargent and Hayden Allen never doubted her ability but must have wavered at times looking at her in and out form at times. Sargent himself now has two G1 filly wins for the season after he prepared the G1 VRC Oaks winner last spring at Flemington in Kirramosa from his Australian base. Can he get a third this autumn or winter?