This G3 3yo 1400m was run on a typical boggy heavy Ellerslie track on a day the times were atrocious and got worse and worse. The Soultaker won easily in the end and showed he is a swimmer even if his trainer and connections do not think so, as he is bred to be with a sire that leaves wet trackers and a dam that is a noted mudder. The colt sat in the trail and then drifted a tad across the top before his rider decided to take the closest in route turning for home and throw caution to the wind. Showing he could swim became apparent when he reached third at the 200m and looked more than dangerous into second at the 100m before freestyling into the lead at the 50m. The Soutalker does not look like a dry tracker or hard tracker and might get away with one run on those conditions, so he clearly likes cut in the ground and wetter. Nothing handled the footing better today in the race than he did. It was his second win in seven starts and all his form is now on dead, slow and heavy footing to show he brings it on in the wet for sure. The time of 1:33.64 for the 1400m showed just how treacherous Ellerslie was and becomes when it gets wet as that is almost ten second over standard or a staggering sixty lengths. The Soultaker reputation as a wet tracker is enhanced a tad more by the fact the last race for Ratings65 older horses, albeit admittedly just one grade above maidens, ran an over three lengths inferior time. The suspect depth and relevance of this race was highlighted when the maiden filly Hello M’Lady was asked to cover the world and took off before acceptances only to be run down into second late. Hello M’Lady sat back wide then her rider, an apprentice in a non-claimable race, pushed the go button across the top and swept up deepest and swam clear the run home. She was a sitting duck, literally in the Ellerslie pond, and now has in six starts been placed in her last two outings at Listed and G3 on wet footing. Mongolianlightning showed he likes wet footing by sitting second then challenging across the top to near the home turn. He was a distant second at the 200m before paddling home third beaten almost six lengths to show conditions were dreadful at this stage of the day. Xiong Feng led up then got pressured across the top and weakened the run home to fourth beaten just over six and a half lengths. He may not have come up this season so far as last Spring on slow footing at Ellerslie beat The Soultaker and is by the same sire too so wet ground is not the issue. The next outing of this gelding is now pivotal as will certainly not be on as bad footing and should direct his campaign from this point onwards. Blue Twilight was not too bad for a maiden and forgive Savile Row as he was too fresh and therefore not seasoned enough for an Ellerslie quagmire. Quantum has not come up yet and Mongolian Wolf was disgraceful while Corporate Missile was even worse beaten out of sight and was part of a dreadful day for Team Te Akau on both sides of the Tasman. The best horse in the field won but not just on ability as he can clearly swim a bit too with so much evidence pointing to as such. How strong this field was looks to be the dubious asterisk as the footing and margins of defeat were colossal so some swam and some needed rescuing. The runner up a maiden filly looks to be a wet tracker only and her effort alone, when she may have won with a more patient ride, gives up all you need to know about the race and result. Several of the beaten brigade after getting over this outing on a swamp can form reverse next time out on better footing or conditions not as testing.