But it was the amount of juice left in the tank that will give co-trainer Michael Pitman plenty of confidence looking towards bigger targets in the North Island.
The Al Maher colt was given a perfect ride by jockey Chris Johnson, landing just behind the leaders from the 1400m start point.
All Johnson had to do was time his run and make sure he did not hit the lead too early. Son Of Maher does have a tendency to switch off when he gets to the lead, which could prompt Pitman to make a gear change when it comes to the 2400m of the New Zealand Derby at Ellerslie.
"I might put some headgear on for the Derby yet," Pitman said.
Son Of Maher came to Wingatui as the Guineas talk horse after his second in the Levin Classic, although Pitman did have some reservations as the 3yr-old dropped back from 1600m to 1400m.
"Honestly, I thought the horse would get beat today - I honestly did, over the 1400m.
"I've come here with really nice horses and got beat. But I said to Chris 'if you're anywhere near them, you'll be hard to beat' and he didn't have a hard race, either."
Pitman will continue with his plan of going to the Avondale Guineas at Ellerslie on February 20 before the Derby on March 5.
While the Pitmans will be heading north, a trip south paid off for Taranaki man Steve Bruce, the part-owner of Miss Seton Sands.
Bruce was at Wingatui at the same meeting in 2015 when Miss Seton Sands led up in the Dunedin Guineas before fading out.
But this year, she has added some strength and the Steven Woodsford-trained mare was a deserved favourite after her second in the Telegraph at Trentham last month.
"To be honest, I thought she looked even fitter today than she looked at Trentham," he said.
"Steven's done a good job and she's a progressive type of mare - and those two sprinters she beat today are good horses."
Kaharau will be returning even further north than Bruce after his outstanding Dunedin Gold Cup win - and his next trip could well be to Australia.
The Kenny and Lisa Rae-trained 4yr-old blitzed his rivals in the listed 2400m feature, and justified Kenny Rae's decision to buy the entire when the original owner wanted to relinquish his racing interests. He brought in Michael Harris and Guy Matches, and took a third himself.
"We brought him down here to recoup our money quick," Rae said.
It has certainly worked.
Kaharau has won five of his eight South Island starts, including the Dunedin Gold Cup Trial at Ashburton last week before his smart 2 length victory yesterday.
Where next for the progressive stayer? After a spell back in Ruakaka, Rae is looking northwest.
"Brisbane - that's plan A. I haven't a got plan B,'' Rae said.
"He'll have three or four weeks off. But I'm taking him to Brisbane - I don't care if it's the Brisbane Cup, or whatever. He deserves a shot at it."
