KEY POINTS:
Wanganui trainers Evan and J J Rayner were enjoying the wet weather conditions on offer at Te Rapa racecourse yesterday, much to the dismay of supporters of glamour racemare Seachange.
The win prospects of the Rayner-trained Baltaine firmed with every shower of rain which hit the Hamilton racetrack leading into the $60,000 (Listed) Waikato Stud Foxbridge Plate.
Leading jockey Lisa Cropp had the 7-year-old gelding perfectly positioned close to the leaders throughout the 1400m event powering down the middle of the track on the hometurn.
Baltaine scored by a half-length over Aimee's Idol with a further 1 3/4 lengths away to Cog Hill.
Seachange was gallant in defeat battling into fifth, just over two lengths behind the winner.
The favourite had a dream sit behind the pace-setting Suave Emperor, hooking out on the hometurn to challenge but lacking the necessary sprint finishing ability on a heavy track.
Despite struggling to lengthen stride, Seachange showed her class fighting on in determined style and will strip a fitter horse after this testing assignment.
She should be ready to fire on a firmer track at Hastings in two weeks' time in the Group One Mudgway Partsworld Stakes.
That event will not be on the immediate programme of Baltaine, who heads to Awapuni for a $100,000 mile event on September 15.
Cropp showed her class earlier in the day when kicking home Cape Kinaveral to score an effortless victory in the $25,000 feature staying event.
Cape Kinaveral settled back at the rear of the field in the 2000m event and Cropp saved ground improving along the rail over the closing 600m.
The 5-year-old Cape Cross-sired gelding powered clear of the field to score by 1 1/2lengths over Dead Rabbits, with a further three-quarters of a length back to Melanion.
Pacemaker, The Shoe faded to fourth but did not help his winning chances in the home stretch running inwards and bumping the running rail, briefly losing momentum.
The dreaded winter racing safety issue of "bad light" struck again, leading to the final race, the last leg of Pick6, being abandoned.
For the second time in three weeks, Pick6 punters with live units heading into the final leg were dealt a killer blow.
The abandonment of the race meant all ticket holders got a full refund on their investment, which is just what happened at Riccarton on Winter Cup day.
The New Zealand Racing Board should consider reviewing the current rules governing this betting pool to avoid this scenario happening again.
If a punter is smart enough to select five winning legs and is denied the opportunity to contest the final leg due to that race being abandoned, they deserve more than just a refund.
Dividing the Pick6 pool among those punters still live heading into the final leg is one possibility, or perhaps a calculated percentage payout is another option.
Then again, had the race been run and jockeys or horses permanently injured, would punters be satisfied or would the New Zealand TAB face further criticism?
