The track looked terrible and chopped up from the outset at Te Rapa and the most glaring fact was not one leader won all day, which is unheard of at this venue but is still a form of blatant bias. All the winners came five-off the inside or wider the run home, which is very telling in itself, except the first race a two-turn slow run middle distance event with first use of the track that saw the winner sit second the outer (the leader ran last but was a maiden against already winners). The track looked and raced biased albeit the opposite too what it is usually and that was with just seven races and many of them small fields too. This G2 fillies and mares 2000m event under WFA had ten runners but only five had any hope under this scale as the rest were handicappers through and through. The iffy rain-affected and presented track definitely dulled the hopes of some of the main five so the result is more than a tad dubious. Mime, a 4yo mare sat fifth the inside and then worked off near the home turn before driving through (the head on shows she was five-off the rail) to lead at the 200m. She fought on best to score by a long neck in 2:04.69 and record her fifth win in nineteen starts that also includes eight placings. It is telling that three of her wins have come at 2000m-2100m and from just five outings at 2000m or more plus she likes rain-affected and wet ground. Mime was overdue a win this year after being luckless twice prior at G2 and then G1 and this was against many of her usual combatants again today. Endean Rose, a 6yo mare and a handicapper at best that has only won up to Benchmark 75 (two grades at least behind Open Class and many more below Group racing) ran a close second. She has in fact won four times at Benchmark 75 staggeringly so that is an achievement in itself being able to keep finding the appropriate easier grades. It was her fifth go at blacktype racing today and having never looked likely prior she got a G2 second today against her own sex and that alone showed the lack of real depth in this field. Sofia Rosa ran home solidly too late for third and would have won if a fraction closer before the home turn for sure. The 4yo mare was a long neck and a nose away from victory but enjoyed the tricky wet footing plus she too like the winner had run well twice prior at G1 and G2 against her own sex. China Star at $71 a win finished fourth and was another to show the depth of this event was dubious after racing ordinary this time in and in fact has not won a race since December of 2015 in a Benchmark 85. The natural leader was having her eighth attempt at blacktype for one second but to be fair she has a couple of fourths and several fifths. The rising 7yo fought well once headed and considering the bias today did well but many races saw lots of runners going up and down on the same spot it seemed the run home. Thee Auld Floozie sat second the outer and had every chance when fifth but in a finish that saw most runners unable to ping or pull away from each other she was only beaten just under a length and a half. Echezeaux, a four-win mare that looked an ambitious entry on paper, ran an honest sixth beaten just under two lengths. She sat last and then was improved the deepest runner turning in but kept grinding on well like a handicap stayer. Rasa Lila from second last on settling made a move across the top wide and after looking likely briefly at the 250m was one-batting late like many others and the footing did her no favours whatsoever. She absolutely thrashed a fifteen-horse and superior field in this last year on good footing to show what the difference in a track presented can do regarding performance and margins at the line. Charmont was dreadful today after winning at G1 against her own sex last start and it has to be noted she is the stablemate of the winner. It looks like she is a dubious middle distance or stayer as an older mare so 1400m to a mile may be her strike zone if the rising 6yo mare appears again next season. Bel Sorriso is a handicap stayer and likes bog footing while El Pistola is a handicapper too and not a WFA galloper. All in all this was a strange result and untrustable as a superior five mares in a field of ten runners could only capture first and third. The footing and track presented with the unusual bias played a role for sure but many of these have met before numerous times and have turns it seems so no one mare is dominant. Mime and Sofia Rosa being rising 5yo mares still have it all ahead next season and they can compete against the males at WFA as there is no depth whatsoever in New Zealand under this scale at the moment and has not been for quite a while.