Tit For Taat survived a protest to complete a notable double when winning the $150,000 Bayer Classic at Otaki last evening.
A protest was lodged by the trainer of the third-placed Sir Clive who appeared to run out of room between the winner and runner-up Star Satire over the concluding stages.
It was alleged Tit For Taat had taken the line of Sir Clive inside the final 100m of the race.
It was more than 30 minutes before it was announced that the protest had been dismissed.
Chief stipendiary steward Noel McCutcheon said Tit For Taat did move outwards and Star Satire had moved inwards but it was established the winner was sufficiently clear of Sir Clive when the incident occurred.
Tit For Taat, at his previous start, had won the group one $160,000 Two Thousand Guineas (1600m) for three-year-olds at Riccarton in Christchurch on November 15.
The Bayer Classic is also a group one race for three-year-olds.
Tit For Taat is now one of a select band of horses to achieve such a double.
Others to have completed the double are Altitude, Veandercross, Avedon and Buzz Lightyear.
Tit For Taat did not appear headed for victory when clearly headed by Star Satire early in the run home but he fought back to score decisively.
Successful jockey Hayden Tinsley thought victory had eluded him but not because of the incident that was the subject of the inquiry. Instead it was incident much earlier in the race.
"I got a check by a horse coming across from outside of me and I thought the race was over," Tinsley said.
"I was never going to win coming across the junction."
Tit For Taat is a colt by Faltaat and is trained in the Manawatu by Wayne Herbert from Palmerston North.
Herbert's wife Anne was delighted at the horse's group one double within 15 days.
"We have been in the game 20-something years trying to get one," she said.
Fourth yesterday was Hail with fifth going to the favourite Diamond Cashel who ran on well after being second-last with 600m to run.
Butterscotch, another well supported runner, ran on well to finish seventh after also getting well back.
Millennium, who was up alongside the leader in the middle stages, weakened to finish back in the field.
- NZPA
Racing: Protest fails to unseat Tit For Taat
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