This G3 3200m Open Handicap at Trentham drew a very weak field of stayers and contained a lot of runners out of form and shy of winning too career-wise plus lots of older horses that have been going around in the same races for years. The winner Gorbachev on the minimum of 53kg was just a three-race winner before today so was the equal least winning runner in the field and incredibly the three of them ran first, third and sixth today to emphasise just how poor this field really was. The bias towards on pacers and the faster inside lanes was even worse today than here last week with six of the ten winners turning for home running one, two or three and another winner trailing the leaders The winners and where they turned for home in race order were seventh (five-off and three lengths from the leader), tenth (five-off and three lengths from the leader), led (length inner), second (outer and one length off the leader), second (outer a neck from the leader), co-leader (outer), fifth (trail inner and two lengths from the leader), eighth (inner and three lengths from the leader), third (two-off and a length and a half from the leader) and second (one-off and a length from the leader). The first two races were down the bionic chute and the run on winners were not that far away turning for home and in fact no victor on the whole day came from further back than three lengths from the leader tellingly. Vast swathes of runners every race were dead on arrival at the gates if backrunners and anything angled too wide had no chance of winning whatsoever, such was the incredibly manmade biased track presented for the second week in succession. The quinella in this saw the winner trail the two leaders and the runner up move up to challenge across the top and lead turning for home. Gorbachev was ridden by an apprentice (two others in this G3 race were also ridden by apprentices) and after sitting in the trail was almost always running third. He reached second at the 200m and in a ding donger at the 100m scored by a lip to clock a very sedate 3:22.49 for the two miles. It was his fourth win in twenty-nine starts and the 5yo had finished fourth in the G3 NZ Cup (3200m) in the Spring, also on the minimum of 53kg that was run and won in 3:22.58. The winner and runner up of the NZ Cup ran today and finished fifteenth beaten over twenty-five lengths and ninth beaten almost ten lengths respectively. Dee And Gee, a South Island trained mare, almost caused a boilover at $70 after racing wide then settling fourth the outer before moving up to challenge at the 600m and lead turning for home. The mare had won a Listed 2500m in the Spring at $51 and then finished tenth in the G3 NZ Cup beaten over eleven lengths so is a very hit and miss type and the form reverser almost did it again today. Prince Jabeel ran third beaten almost three lengths but had won his prior start at G3 carrying 53.5kg and today showing how bad this field really was rose a massive 5.5kg, so went from the bottom to the top of the weights almost in one fell swoop. He went from eighth turning for home turning for home and came through on the inner faster lanes to reach third at the 200m and one-batted thereafter. The weight hike clearly was an issue and it is scary an equal least winning runner can go from the bottom to the top so abruptly and suggests the NZ handicapping policies are patently flawed and have been for a decade or longer. Mental Telepathy moved from seventh the outer to be up third wide across the top and tried hard from second turning in. Hank Moody was a battling fifth beaten seven and a half lengths after racing ninth and then improving through fifth turning for home. He last won a race over a year ago. Sulcifera, another South Island trained runner, raced second the outer then fourth the outer and one-batted away like most of these. Sylvester was another to grind away but was beaten over nine lengths while Duplicity got too far back and was running late albeit distantly. Kamanda Lincoln came from the rear duo on settling to make some ground but was beaten over ten lengths. Excalibur ran a $6 favourite and got back but never ever looked a possibility when beaten over a dozen lengths. The margins of defeat then got bigger and bigger from fifteen lengths up to over seventy lengths as runners either staggered home exhausted or walked home. This was a very poor G3 field and on a par with G3 NZ Cup in the Spring at Riccarton and the lack of stamina depth in New Zealand at the moment is at an all time low and apparent for all to see. The same horses or types keep going around in the 3200m races in New Zealand and there should be no G1 staying handicap races as no actual stayers can be found anymore it seems.