The G2 1400m at WFA was at least run at a decent clip albeit Awapuni once again produced very sluggish times and was clearly an off track all day. Kawi, as he should, won at this level but certainly did not slam the opposition at all and in fact narrowly got over the top of a rival he knows well having formed several quinella/forecasts before with in Mighty Solomon. Were it not for rider Robert Hannam going clear in the lead and setting up a solid clip throughout atop Miss Appleton (she finished sixth beaten just under three lengths) then the result may well have been different. Kawi showed today he is one-dimensional still in that he needs the pace solid to set him up (or to force it as he has done before) but he is very vulnerable indeed in tepid run races. He has been beaten (or slammed) an awful lot in sedate or slowly run races and mostly as favourite. Today also showed the 1400m is his pet trip and despite being a long way away turning for home and being ridden very hard to pick up he eventually benefited late once those ahead felt the strain and weakened. Kawi had his fourth different rider in as many starts this campaign with Jonathon Parkes the next cab of the rank today, so the 5yo gelding is certainly not getting continuity of rider atop and it may well be an issue looking forward. He won by just under half a length in 1:23.47, which considering how hard the leader went up front showed the Awapuni track once again is providing a more than off surface and texture. Scrutinize, a lightly tried but promising 3yo won ridiculously easily in 1:23.83 earlier in the day, to give a fair reflection of the Kawi time. It was his ninth win from twenty starts and his sixth over the 1400m, so for Kawi is his strike-zone distance for sure. The runner up Mighty Solomon raced closer than the winner on settling in fourth mostly and also took an eternity to wind up in a race that suited the closers (three of the first four home came midfield or worse on settling). He unleashed with the winner and the pair as they have done before looked in for another ding-donger the closing stages as they challenged at the 50m but Kawi, as he should do, got the upper hand at WFA. Mighty Solomon has won seven races but never scored in a Group or Listed race while Kawi has won at G1, G3 and Listed level already so today he got the full set with a G2 success. Tomorrowland form reversed completely on his last start shocking tenth of ten beaten a dozen lengths to finish third after being second albeit in a gap on settling down. He has speed and ability when fully fit. Hayley Maree ran on well late for fourth and again did the deep South proud. Speech Craft ran well above his paygrade when fifth as he is a handicap sprinter but it also showed this was not a serious G2 field or one of depth. Miss Appleton if rated a tad more conservatively, as she had no willing attackers, could have caused a boilover and only got run over the final 50m. Bel Soriso is a wet track stayer resuming so after a tardy start to be beaten just over five lengths shows she is in for a good 2016 but also once again highlights the lack of depth in this field. Saavoya was weak in beating one home but she deserves another chance for multiple reasons. She was second up and rising many grades and in weight (up 1.5kg) too plus is a better galloper clockwise. Slice Of Class was horrible again and something is not quite right with the mare that won fresh up this season but has been atrocious in two of three runs since. In her last six times to the races (four runs this season and the last two over the autumn) she has finished dead last four of those times. The best two on ability Kawi and Mighty Solomon formed the quinella in this nowhere near a G2 quality field or result, as both the modest time and how some far lesser rivals performed showed quite graphically. Whether this has any relevance over summer is debatable as the majority of the field are wet trackers. Kawi will likely tackle G1 at 2000m under WFA clockwise (he has never won this direction before) while Mighty Solomon will be aimed at G1 handicap mile. Tomorrowland will tackle the G1 sprints at Ellerslie and Trentham over January.