Exciting galloper Spot On Time kept his winning streak intact with a desperate lunge at the winning post to take out the TAB Mile Trial (1400m) at Riccarton in a thrilling two-horse war with outsider Cluedo Lane.

In a race that saw a sensation at the start as second favourite Stonybreck knuckled over leaving the starting gates and dislodging rider Opie Bosson, Spot On Time  showed he will be a major contender for higher honours during the upcoming New Zealand Cup Carnival, where the Gr. 3 TAB Mile (1600m) is firmly on his agenda.

The lightly raced son of Time Test, who was having just start number twelve of his career, had opened his current campaign with a win at Ashburton over 1200m a fortnight ago which had been preceded by three wins from just four starts since October 24.

Trainer Terri Rae has judiciously spaced his races and he stripped a very fit horse on Saturday as punters installed him a warm $3.30 favourite for the major lead-up event to the TAB Mile on 12 November.

Rider Matt Cartwright had Spot On Time stalking the pacemaking Cluedo Lane throughout and moved alongside rounding the home bend as the riderless Stonybreck joined them both to add further drama to the contest.

With Cartwright keeping a watchful eye on the riderless horse, he threw everything at his mount who lifted off the canvas to put his head down right on the finishing post to deny a brave Cluedo Lane by a mere nose as Contemplation Bay, Mystic Park and Candy Lane rushed at the pair to produce a thrilling conclusion to the contest.

Rae was thrilled with the final result as she had been worried when the riderless Stonybreck had moved in on her charge.

"He's not very brave and hates being crowded, so when that horse started to lay in I got a bit worried as I had told Matt that he had to be wary of something trying to lay in on him as he can be a real sook," Rae said.

"Thankfully he picked himself up and tried really hard to the line and got in the deciding stride.

"We have had to space his races as he used to go shin sore a lot as a younger horse. He is starting to mature out of that now and he is really holding his condition well.

"He likes his races spaced so that is what we have done and it is working out for him.

"He can have an easy time of it for a few days now and then we will start to get him ready for the TAB Mile on the middle day of the Carnival, where we have Vinnie Colgan booked to ride him."

Out of the No Excuse Needed mare Shirley's Secret, Spot On Time has now won seven of his 12 starts and $177,990 in prizemoney. His granddam is Miracle Miss who won five races and finished fourth in the 2006 Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas (1600m).