The G1 Telegraph despite its summer date does seem to be run on tricky or awful footing a lot of the times and the total blowout across the line today did the race no favours. The set weights and penalties now used for the G1 Railway at Ellerslie on New Years Day and this are not working as the fields are not getting stronger at all. The international pattern committee may react sooner rather than later on several races each season if they continue to fail to deliver meaningful line ups. Aventador led and won the race comfortably despite nearly being ordered withdrawn pre-race after crashing through the running rail and acting like he did not want to be there. The 7yo gelding was the rank outsider at $80 and was winning his seventh race in twenty-four starts today. The reason he has been so lightly raced are a myriad of health issues. His last win before today came on April 15 in 2015. He ran sixth in this last year beaten just over five and a half lengths. The time posted today of 1:08.35 can be dismissed totally as a realistic guide on a cutting out track as the chute times for Trentham (and Riccarton) from 800m up to 1200m simply should never be believed. Sacred Star ran 1:07.01 last year under 59kg and Black Caviar never did that in her entire unbeaten career or ran near that time including when under 58kg she blew away a G1 Newmarket field to record a career high equal rating. Dry or wet you must take Trentham chute times with a boulder of salt as they never stack up as credible. Whether it is downhill or the distance is measured with an imaginary curve coming across the rail-less junction (most cut a straight line across it so the distance could be substantially less than 1200m) it cannot be trusted. A 4yo mare won the first race today in 1:09.01 in a Ratings 75 race for a dose of realism as she was just over three lengths inferior to the G1 sprint. The second, third and fourth finishers today were Miss Seton Sands ($34), Trepidation ($42) and Barbaric ($59). The runner up and fourth finisher sat just behind the pace while the third finisher ran home strongly from midfield and closer in but did drive through several lanes out the run home. The first runner home that had some support was Vespa and he ran on gamely after being sixth or seventh wide most of the way. Statham and Toma Valea ran on well from well back while Silver Eclipse wilted late from third on settling. Passing Shot wilted to ninth after sharing the pace with the eventual winner the inner most of the way. Riding Shotgun got home late from the back while Sacred Star, Ryan Mark, Allez Eagle and Natuzzi (the fourth, first, second and third finishers from the G1 Railway held two weeks earlier) were all total flops. Scapolo never got into it and should have relished the off track while Soubrettes also got too far back to be any threat. Recite was dreadful and In Style never went a yard in the footing so probably should not have run with her aversion to tricky wet ground. She won the G1 Railway last year and has done nothing since so the sprinting ranks are looking threadbare and the depth is simply nowhere to be found in New Zealand at the moment. This result is a total forget as a viable guide with the footing making it a more wet trackers finish so only has worth should similar types of conditions appear again on a major raceday. The two G1 set weights and penalties sprints in a New Zealand season both had rain-affected footing this year and the form from last year is not stacking up either so the asterisk is well and truly stamped beside both.