KEY POINTS:
So what does Sir Slick's thundering return to winning form in Saturday's $250,000 Thorndon at Trentham mean.
For a start, a slight concern for vendors at Karaka today hoping to sell a yearling to the Australian market.
When a Bairnsdale Cup beaten runner comes out two starts later and wins a group one in a different country you can imagine what the thinking of the Australians is.
There will be disbelief among the Aussies who saw Sir Slick beaten 10 times out of the money apart from his Bairnsdale third.
"How bad are they over there?" they'll be asking.
Is that fair?
No, but we'll get back to that.
Mixed with Graeme Nicholson's delight in the Trentham birdcage on Saturday was disappointment and anger that there had been "knockers out there".
You can't blame people for questioning the continual racing of Sir Slick when he was clearly a shadow of his former self.
If he's the people's champion as claimed, everyone's had a stake in him and felt cheated.
It looked degrading to many.
Even Greg Childs, who rode him in Melbourne, told Des Coppins on a Radio Trackside interview that, in his opinion, Sir Slick needed spelling.
Horses can take you from the bottom of the heap to the top more quickly than any commodity in history.
They can provide the reverse trip just as quickly.
They can win arguments for you.
And in that remarkable way, unique to racing, Sir Slick answered Nicholson's critics for him.
But how did he manage it?
The form turnaround to be beaten into third in the Bairnsdale Cup to winning a group one Thorndon Mile is difficult to line up, but 20 lengths wouldn't be out of the ballpark.
Part of it is that Sir Slick is clearly happy to be back in New Zealand.
The other point is that 18 of his 20 victories have been from January 1 each season.
No horse before him has been so seasonal.
Great to see him back to what we know he's capable of.
And a great ride by the best front-running jockey in New Zealand, David Walsh.
* * *
How come it can't be made right?
The track at Trentham on Saturday was far too hard.
And if you don't believe that take a poll of the jockeys' room.
Everyone was complaining. Michael Walker claimed it was the hardest track he's raced on for a long time.
A year after Trentham was criticised for an over-watered track on Wellington Cup Day it wound the conditions to the other end of the scale.
Trainers, for obvious reasons, are often shy about being quoted on such matters because they feel they can pay a price for it.
John Wheeler has two favourites that probably couldn't walk well yesterday. All In Black raced seven or eight lengths below her best in the first at Trentham after magical lead-up form and stablemate Resounding did the same three races later.
Michael Walker told Wheeler neither horse could stretch out on the hard track.
That's not fair on owners - those horses won't race for a month as a result.
James McDonald and Jason Waddell said conditions were just too tough on horses.
They had plenty of support.
