This G2 3yo only over 2100m saw some reputations demolished and the pecking order for Derby thrown into utter chaos as Surely Sacred won narrowly as the second favourite over a $45 runner that was monumental in defeat. The track was given out as a Good3 at Ellerslie and the rail out 8m but the times were poor all day and even in races that they went hard in so the re-calculated starting points look dubious or the track is behaving very badly as it had done before all the work was done on it with underfoot being concrete-like. The winners and where they turned or home in race order were second (neck back and two-off the fence), sixth (eight-wide (widest runner) and length and a half from the leader), third (six-wide and two lengths from the leader), fourth (two-off the fence and a length and a half from the leader), third (trail but angling two-off and a length behind the leader), third (eight-wide and half a length from the leader), fifth (nine-wide (widest runner) and a length from the leader and led (neck in front and two-off the fence). On a supposed Good3 track it defies credulity when all riders are angling away from the inside lanes before the home turn and the clear faster lanes are up the middle or deeper as that looks ridiculous on a dry track. In slow run races and pressure up front races the winners are still coming centre track and deeper like it was a bog bottomless track and that is visually alarming as this does not happen for no reason. Surely Sacred sat ninth or tenth the outer and then surged up wide across the top and maintained the rage to go up third and very deep turning for home. He took the lead quickly at the 300m and looked set to score with authority but In A Twinkling would not lay down and was digging deep at the 150m and went down by only a long neck. The winning time of 2:10.84 is nothing to write home about but many in this field had their tongues hanging out are not bred to be nor are they stayers. It was the third win in five starts by Surely Sacred and he now has two G2 wins in his record and to be fair he should never have missed paying a dividend to date. In A Twinkling has had no luck this season and went out at way over the odds in this and ran a huge race after being well back and he wide he got sent up around the field to be second the outer with just over half the trip to go. The Australian bred gelding then challenged the leader all of 800m out to the home turn and when headed at the 300m showed immense fight. Neither he or the winner are by a stamina sire at all so the extra 300m of the Derby is a query but both showed they could sustain a long run and at this age that is often all that matters, Vernanme is bred to stay and ran a Derby winning trial third after having pulled a plate en route to the track and having to be reshod so the colt had things against him and drew wide too. The big 3yo was ridden cold back on the inner then worked off across the top and came wide near the home turn. He stretched out as well as one can with a shoe issue to finish third beaten two lengths and he must be a mentally tough type let alone an already strapping physical specimen. Vernanme ran through any pain barrier or discomfort-meter today and he will not be over-awed at all come the Derby in two weeks. Bobby Dee the rank outsider by miles at $77 ran a stupendous fourth after being midfield and wide the whole way then working up fifth and deeper turning for home. He had every right to weaken after such an overlander but kept giving and to be beaten just over three lengths was quite remarkable and does cast a real doubt on many in the field as being over-rated. Pris De Fer ran another good race for fifth and he has been luckless his last two runs at Listed then G2 today. He won three starts ago but ran out and caused a massive chain reaction so got relegated to second but probably should have gone back to fourth such was the interference he caused late in the race in a very tight finish. Gate one in his last three starts have not been at all lucky at all for the gelding getting buried back on the inner but he keeps coming the run home and that will be properly rewarded soon. Sir Nate ran on for sixth beaten just over five lengths after sitting just ahead of midfield the inner and not spending a penny extra so he should have run on after such an economical trip The Chosen One set the pace and the eventual runner up eyeballed him from the 800m to the home turn and once headed he weakened to seventh beaten five and a quarter lengths. Masetto ran on okay from well back at $30 and he is bred to stay. Platinum Invador after being last to the home turn was held up from the 300m to the 100m then got going okay the final stages. Rippa Eagle raced third or fourth the inner and did not stay. Swords Drawn is still a maiden but he can be given another chance after an inconclusive run today when unable to ping but he had runners ahead and seemed loathe to lengthen. Since being ridden cold he has found traffic and race pace a problem plus of course track bias. Botti plugged away like he is ready for the 2400m now and any rain would be a big help. Cutadeel the favourite and before today the clear Derby favourite too ran an absolute shocker in finishing thirteenth and got beaten over eight and a half lengths. He was sixth and four-wide a lap out but got over and then had a dream run fifth or sixth the outer but could not quicken the run home and was a battling eighth at the 200m then stopped. His price blew out four times longer immediately for the Derby and will likely get longer as the run was awful and maybe the hard nature of the footing presented jarred him up into not letting go properly. Cutadeel clearly needs give in the ground and his Derby prospects are now weather dependent or the track being over-watered it does seem. Tolemac and Roll The Dice both stopped badly and were over twenty lengths away and over twenty-two lengths in arrears down to a walk. This race highlighted the Derby this year lacks many actual staying 3yo contenders and many will need the track to have substantial give or cut to stretch out properly let alone run the 2400m out fully. Rain the day before or on the day or a combination with excessive track-watering now seems the only hope for many. Vernanme screams the Derby winner but he has to get over that being reshod issue as things can flare up between now and the next fourteen days. He has the size and sustained power surge to salute. The 3yo crop this season has been very dubious as so many have flopped inexplicably and while the milers look more consistent it is the middle distance we are dealing with now and the stamina looks lite on display.