A number of things about wonder horse Sir Slick stagger Bruce Herd.
One of them is his ability to keep showing up ready to fight even after a number of tough defeats.
Which is why Herd knows Sir Slick will give his all under his tough 61.5kg in
today's $125,000 Rich Hill Mile at Ellerslie.
He knows he will be in front in the early part of the home straight today and that Sir Slick's never-say-die attitude will get him a long way towards the winning post still clinging to the lead.
"He never chucks in the towel, which is remarkable for a horse that has had so many tough runs in which he's been beaten.
"Most horses like that would lose heart and give up and you can understand it - you'd do it yourself if you kept getting run over all the time."
Tough or not, it's weight and it's relativity that decide most races and Sir Slick faces a very tough assignment giving horses like Charliehorse 8kg.
If Charliehorse is within three lengths of Sir Slick on the home bend the horse they call the peoples' champion will do it tough holding on.
The last time Sir Slick was asked to carry 60.5kg was back in the spring when he finished seventh, but only 1.7 lengths from winner Bonjour in the Merial Metric Mile at Awapuni.
"It's fair to say he wasn't the horse then that he is now," said Herd, who knows he's on the dream horse for a jockey.
"He gives 110 per cent every time he goes out there.
"You don't need to hit him, I didn't hit him when he won the other day and I didn't use the whip on him when Xcellent beat him either."
Charliehorse finished only 10th behind Belthazar at Te Rapa last start, but that was a speed-dominated race and few runners could make ground from the back where he was positioned.
