The odds on Melody Belle won this G1 at WFA over a mile easily and was gifted the soft kill when three leaders went silly up front for the first half of the race. The track presented today at Hastings was the most on pace and inside lanes biased ever seen and the fact it comes on a G1 day (they only have three G1 racedays on this track a season) is the most galling and unacceptable thing. It should not happen but keeps happening on G1 racedays in New Zealand for some surely easy to fix and stop reason, and it unforgivable and damaging to the credibility of the sport and more so the race results worth. The winners and where they turned for home in race order were led (one-off the inside and half a length ahead), second (one-off the inside and half a length from the leader), led (on the rail and half a length ahead), co-leader (one-off the inside), second (one-off the inside and a length from the leader), led (on the rail and one length ahead), fifth (four-off the inside and two lengths from the leader), third (five-off the inside and a length and a half from the leader) and third (on the rail and two and a half lengths from the leader). Nine races today saw four leaders turning for home win and all on the rail or no worse than one-off the rail, two runners turned in second (both one-off the rail) and two runners turned in third (one of them was on the rail in the trail). Eight of nine winners turned for home first, second or third and the only other winner turned in fifth and five-off the inside but just two lengths from the leader. The race times were tepid in some races and fast in others, so the argument about sectionals and being race pace dependent is totally moot as the manmade bias presented was the overwhelming factor. Melody Belle has been beating the same ceiling at WFA in New Zealand for the last two years, so an identical outcome will always happen if meeting over-rated and inferior depth. The 5yo mare ended up with a dream sit fifth then sixth the outer as for some inexplicable reason three riders were drag racing in the lead for large portion of the race and in effect cutting their own throats. Melody Belle strode up near the home turn as the silly leaders felt the strain of self inflicted gassing and she surged into the lead at the 250m, She was well clear at the 100m and is a cut above the WFA depth in New Zealand and has been for two years. She won by almost three lengths and clocked 1:34.17 plus to show the folly of the leaders going stupid up front early her last 600m was just a modest 34.53 and she scored easily. It was her thirteenth win from twenty-three starts and eight of those have come at G1. She will try to be the first runner to win the Hawke's Bay Triple Crown ever in two weeks and that is goal, as the G1 soft wins are now a formality due to the colossal lack of depth in the opposition at WFA. The first proof this was a weak G1 at WFA was shown by the 7yo handicapper Sultan Of Swing that ran home strongly for second from eighth on settling then getting a cart up near the home turn by the winner. Sultan Of Swing has raced at Blacktype prior to today eleven times for just one G3 win under Handicap conditions and two thirds (at set weights and penalties at G3 and Listed level). The gelding before today had tried G1 once and finished fourteenth of sixteen under set weights and penalties beaten over thirteen lengths. The winner that day was Shadows Cast with 2kg more and today it was taken on in the lead and ran fifth (beaten just over four lengths carrying the same weight as Sultan Of Swing) to make a mockery of the form. That is a seventeen length turnaround from G3 to a G1 and being 2kg worse off for Sultan Of Swing to make an even bigger farce of the overall form worth and credibility. Sultan Of Swing has raced five times in Australia (once in Queensland and four times in Sydney) for two placings and one of those came in Benchmark 85 and so the G1 standard in New Zealand at the moment is a very low bar indeed and the Limbo is getter lower. Mongolian Marshall from the ace gate raced handy the inner and basically on the inside of the winner then pushed through and off fourth turning for home before reaching third at the 200m and second at the 100m. He fought well but lost second by a nostril and had every chance it must be noted. Wyndspelle, a very good example of true race field depth having never won a G1 after numerous attempts, ran on for fourth after settling back on the inner. He was beaten over three lengths and as of today he is still just a three-win galloper from thirty-six starts. Shadows Cast led out from gate two and then was savaged for the lead by not one but two runners (Crown Prosecutor and Vigor Winner) and the mindless company saw him weaken the run home. The manmade track bias presented was so colossal, that he still finished fifth beaten just over four lengths and to show how much he was gassed, his last 600m was a sedate 35.73, which tells you everything about the race and lack of genuine depth. Atlanta Peach was an eyecatcher from last on settling when sixth but was still beaten just under six lengths and Hello It's Me was not too bad in finishing seventh beaten just over six lengths. Cutadeel was fourth wide early then got over fourth on his own as three leaders went absurd up front and he stopped the run home. Vigor Winner, a 4yo having just his eighth start and a first run ever at G1 or at WFA, incredibly from a wide draw attacked for the lead relentlessly three-wide then continued once one-off mind-bogglingly. The inexperienced 4yo stopped the run home and ended up ninth beaten seven and a half lengths, so the effort was actually huge as he should have punctured and dropped out double that. The tactics were ridiculous on a young horse with it all ahead and looked pre-meditated as the option to pull back and over for a great soft sit was never attempted. More Wonder was average and his reputation is now down to Handicap level only as he keeps flattering to deceive. Dark Princess got back after some tightening and never looked a chance. Crown Prosecutor was the other attacker in the race and was drag racing one-off for the opening 600m then eased out of the madness to third but was weak the run home and stopped to finish last beaten nine lengths. He won the G1 NZ Derby last season at Ellerslie from the trail and a G3 mile at Trentham after leading up running soft sectionals, with both these races looking suspect more and more by the day. Three-year-old form more often than not doesn't measure up as a 4yo when meeting the older horses for colts, geldings and fillies. This was a strange run G1 mile at WFA as the tactics of some riders defied belief and common sense, as it only played right into the hands of Melody Belle. It was a weak field overall and contained lots of non-winners for ages and several that when in a fight are the first to fold. The WFA depth has been so poor for years now and this was a reflection of it as Melody Belle keeps beating the up the same old same old. There is nothing racing in New Zealand that can beat her in the last leg of the Triple Crown over 2040m, as anything with an ounce of above average ability is already racing in Australia at the moment chasing massive Stakemoney and actually meaningful Blacktype. The only way Melody Belle can be beaten is by herself and if they only got eleven rivals for today then that will be reduced mostly likely in two weeks. It will almost certainly be the weakest running of the race ever looking at the number of handicappers only left nominated still that could end up only padding out an already feeble looking field.