Grey Friar earned himself a tilt at the $25,000 Wanganui Guineas (1320m) on Saturday fortnight after winning a dour battle in the Flipp Hay & Straw 3YO at Foxton yesterday.
But co-trainer Keith Hawtin hinted at some concern about the College Chapel's gelding's concentration at the business end of his races.
"He'sa lovely horse, but is not learning to finish off his races at this stage as well as I would have expected.
"He got to the front, but appeared to switch off halfway down," he said.
However, winning jockey Opie Bosson soon put him straight on the issue.
"Keith may have been right in his assumption that Grey Friar switches off when he gets to the front, but I was impressed with the way he dug deep when asked the question inside the last 100 metres.
"He was loafing a bit when we got to the front, but he responded well under a vigorous ride and was pulling away again at the finish," Bosson said.
Grey Friar tracked neck-and-neck speedsters Blue Tango and Tit For Taat once the field settled down and challenged turning for home.
It looked as though Grey Friar was going to gradually draw clear, but Tit For Taat, who had finished the gamest of thirds in the Ryder Stakes last month, would not throw in the towel.
Tit For Taat came in contact with the running rail at the 250m mark, slipped and lost balance, and for him to come back and still make a race of it with the winner was grit and determination.
