The 2014 G3 NZ Cup will be more remembered for the age of the quinella and the simply unacceptable over-watering of Riccarton that produced a farcical track chipping from the first race and not looking forward but horrid. A piece of the top of the track flew into the air on the home turn in an early race that was as big as a Frisbee and it was surprising no dog ran onto the track after it. Forget the 800m, 1000m and 1200m times for both Riccarton and Trentham as they are the fastest chute tracks in the world if you accept their times afforded so never use these figures as any guide whatsoever unless you add on a couple of seconds at least. Black Caviar could not run as fast as some times allowed to stand at these venues. The sight of seeing NZ stipes allow a Good3 track to be reported as gospel and stay up all day was absurd and an insult to every set of eyes that watched the meeting or was on course. The amount of Riccarton track flying into the air every race was a joke and when you see 90% of every field running in the middle lanes then you know something is askew. Trackside hosts Brendan Popplewell and Greg O’Connor kept saying how the track was perfect, fair too all, beautifully presented and of course great plus an absolute tribute to the trackman and his staff. The actual track manager was strangely basking in the misplaced glory they bestowed upon him, as it was a visual and biased disgrace. Seeing is believing and whatever they were looking forward too or at was not what the rest of the audience could see clearly. The truth was of course a lot different and people that actually bet money on the races were once again treated with utter contempt. Two favourites all day on the ten race card won and just one other ran second otherwise seven ran out of the money. That is staggering in itself on a supposed Good3 track that the stipes and Trackside presenters both kept referring too as gospel fact. If you are asking for the public to wager with their own money then it is surely unwise to say things that are simply not true and even more so whilst the pictures are showing otherwise race by race. Mungo Jerry won at his third attempt today and is an 8yo gelding that had not actually won a race since October of 2012. He beat a 9yo gelding that had not won a race for just over a year in Esprit D’Or and a 6yo mare having her first crack at 3200m. It certainly was a Cup for the old timers and the winner clocked 3:23.88 on this supposed Good3 surface. Last year he finished fourteenth beaten almost eighteen lengths on a Good3 rated track where the winning time was 3:19.92 (almost twenty four lengths faster than this year). Two years ago he finished fourth in the race, once again on a Good3 rated track and there seems to be a pattern here, when beaten just under eight lengths in a 3:19.56 run race (or twenty six lengths faster). The facts are damning. Kelly Myers rode the winner for Team Bull and but for saving ground closer in across the top to the home turn she would not have saluted in the race. It is poignant too that Trackside hosts kept saying the winners came the inner but again unless that is eight to ten horse widths out minimum then we have a new definition today at Riccarton. It is like radio without the pictures hosting except the audience can hear and see the vision! Mungo Jerry was angled up the middle the run home as closer in the home straight was quicksand from over-watering and slower lanes by a massive margin. To see fifteen runners of the eighteen running the middle part of the track at the 800m in a 3200m event on a supposed Good3 track looked ridiculous. The three that were not there turning for home had dropped out exhausted and came in almost thirty lengths, almost forty-five lengths and sixty-five lengths away at the finish. The only young horse at the finish was Blizzard and the 4yo wilted late into fourth when a game She’s Insatiable ran past him the dying stages. The fifth finisher, that also wilted late but did get a lot asked of her considering she carried 58kg, was the 7yo mare Postman’s Daughter. It was almost a first four of a six, seven, eight and nine-year old! The late running on effort albeit distant of Duke Of York for sixth showed he wants more than two miles. Saint Kitt was brave as never ever on the track the entire trip and probably ran another 25m almost. The rest did not stay or cope with the strangely presented track that should have bettors up in arms as it keeps happening on major New Zealand racedays (think Trentham, Te Rapa, Te Aroha, Awapuni and of course Ellerslie to name a few). Bettors deserve integrity and protection for their dollars wagered and to be informed factually so copping officials and host spin and misinformation is just an insult to intelligence. The local turnover dollar is suffering for a reason and until someone fixes this disdain for the New Zealand bettor then nothing will improve as the audience for thoroughbred racing dwindles alarmingly. All in all a dubious G3 race and awful track presentation that in reality is wasting peoples money that wager and just forces them to bet elsewhere (other countries and/or sports) or with other agencies that report facts not televised hopes and looking forward too it wishes. Track watering and rail movement are two major reasons why horse race betting has collapsed and trying to win back the faith of bettors is near impossible in this day and age. Congratulations overload before the proof of the pudding is now rampant on Trackside in New Zealand for every racemeeting but worse still is they keep getting it so wrong for the big shop front window meetings. People are not that silly when they keep getting told one thing but their own eyes are saying another and repeat offending stops them wagering once the trust is gone. Today at Riccarton we had an erroneous Good3 by officials, espoused all day by Trackside (the televising monopoly) hosts but there was more chipping of this track than an axeman show. It was almost like the Monty Python skit song Lumberjack. 90% or more of every single field was many lanes out or in the middle of the track turning for home on a supposed Good3 track.