This G1 2yo over 1400m saw two male runners cut each other to pieces up front throughout in a thoroughly silly manner and the filly sitting third the outer laughing in Avantage ended up bolting in. The Australian bred filly had stormed home from the back for second at G1 over 1200m at her prior start behind her stablemate Sword Of Osman. Today she was sent forward early and ended up getting over quickly into a great sit third or fourth the outer with cover as Sword Of Osman, her stablemate and the clear favourite drag raced on the outer with Bocce the inner. The filly strode up and led at the 300m as the motor-matching foolish pair stopped like pricked balloons to finish seventh (Sword Of Osman) beaten almost ten lengths and ninth (Bocce) beaten ten and a half lengths. Avantage powered away to win by two lengths and clocked 1:23.43, which was a decent time as one race later at Listed level the older horses ran 1:23.10 so that augurs well for the filly. It was her fifth win from six starts and she has won from 800m to 1400m plus being by a super sire in Fastnet Rock out of a Zabeel dam the best is yet to come. Melt showed her real ability today after a big flop at her prior start and she raced seventh the outer and ran home strongly to reach second at the 150m. She should have several more battles with Avantage next season and they could well both be chasing the G1 1000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton next November. Sir Nate ran on strongly from ninth on settling and his final 100m was rather stout as he went from fifth to third but was three lengths behind the runner up and five lengths from the winner it should be noted. Handsome Rebel settled down fifth and got to fourth turning for home and then third at the 150m before losing the G1 placing the final 10m. It was an honest effort the by the Australian bred stablemate of the winner. King Louis ran a brave fifth after being back and wide and then coming up deeper across the top. He hit his usual flat spot at the 200m then got going again for a very commendable fifth and he could be a Group player as a 3yo. Thomas Aquinas the maiden got back on settling after being hampered early but kept coming the run home and looks like a stamina 3yo for next season. Sword Of Osman could not drag race outside the leader at 1400m to the home turn and expect to survive so unsurprisingly punctured quickly as his winning stablemate that had enjoyed a dream slipstream behind him swept straight on by early the run home. It did not held the regular rider of Sword Of Osman could not make the weight and had to be replaced in a G1 race and after twice being allowed to ride overweight at this level for a fifth (Heroic Valour in G1 Telegraph Handicap) and a second (G1 Auckland Cup) beaten a nose, enough was enough. Bettors will not have been impressed and rightly so as it is wasting other people's money taking rides you cannot make the weight on and at G1 it must be galling for others. Pre-post bettors had every right to be furious as this happens too often in New Zealand racing in the bigger races and it is a very bad look for credibility and future turnover. Customers deserve protection as so many other things can go wrong in a race or with the racehorse itself but when the rider and his or her manager accept rides knowing there is a weight risk then that is unacceptable and unprofessional. Sword Of Osman and Heroic Valour are Team Te Akau runners and Bosson is contracted to ride for them but Five To Midnight is from a Central Districts yard and was a pursued mount clearly. The rider and manager should get the same suspension time and financial penalty and like speeding drivers maybe a points system should be in place whereby loss of licence for a decent period happens. The new rider for Sword Of Osman could not hold the gelding it seemed once he attacked early and to drag race to the home turn at a first look over 1400m is unforgivable. It takes two to tango and in this instance two to test each other's motor throughout with neither willing to yield, so Bocce kicking up on the inner seemed a strange tactic too. Interestingly the rider of Bocce was having his first ride on the colt so it was an ill-advised drag race at G1 on juveniles over 1400m for the first time. It reads as silly as it sounds and defies belief that could happen at G1 but human error is part and parcel of thoroughbred racing. You just hope this drag racing or foolish duel has not soured either youngster as future racehorses because having the throttle wide open for that long must be seared into their memories. Avantage will always win given a sit like today behind two runners throttling each other and she and Melt should continue the rivalry into next season. Sir Nate runs on like he will relish a mile next season and Handsome Rebel and King Louis will come back all the better and bolder as more ringcraft savvy 3yos. Thomas Aquinas will be odds on in any all maiden field he next contests. Sword Of Osman we still do not know if he is just a sprinter as today at 1400m confirmed nothing after such a gassing plus when he finds the rail is a different beast. Bocce will be having Team Te Akau tangerine nightmares as in his last four runs the winners have been Avantage twice and Sword Of Osman twice. He may be just a sprinter too but again until in a race where his throttle is not left wide open until he runs out of gas, we do not know for sure. Avantage is a certainty now for NZ 2yo of the year with her first season record and the deal was sealed after the G1 beating she dished out today.