diff --git a/src/Spring/Spring.Core/Objects/Factory/Support/AbstractAutowireCapableObjectFactory.cs b/src/Spring/Spring.Core/Objects/Factory/Support/AbstractAutowireCapableObjectFactory.cs
index 60ed720f..f16a716a 100644
--- a/src/Spring/Spring.Core/Objects/Factory/Support/AbstractAutowireCapableObjectFactory.cs
+++ b/src/Spring/Spring.Core/Objects/Factory/Support/AbstractAutowireCapableObjectFactory.cs
@@ -142,13 +142,18 @@ namespace Spring.Objects.Factory.Support
         /// specified object.
         /// </summary>
         /// <param name="objectName">Name of the object.</param>
-        /// <param name="mod">The merged object definition to determine the type for.</param>
+        /// <param name="mod">The merged object definition to determine the type for. May be <c>null</c></param>
         /// <returns>
         /// The type of the object, or <code>null</code> if not predictable
         /// </returns>
         protected override Type PredictObjectType(string objectName, RootObjectDefinition mod)
         {
             Type objectType;
+            if (mod == null)
+            {
+                return null;
+            }
+
             if (StringUtils.HasText(mod.FactoryMethodName))
             {
                 objectType = GetTypeForFactoryMethod(objectName, mod);
diff --git a/src/Spring/Spring.Core/Objects/Factory/Support/AbstractObjectFactory.cs b/src/Spring/Spring.Core/Objects/Factory/Support/AbstractObjectFactory.cs
index 0eeda5de..b7912c4b 100644
--- a/src/Spring/Spring.Core/Objects/Factory/Support/AbstractObjectFactory.cs
+++ b/src/Spring/Spring.Core/Objects/Factory/Support/AbstractObjectFactory.cs
@@ -740,11 +740,11 @@ namespace Spring.Objects.Factory.Support
         /// To be overridden in subclasses, applying more sophisticated type detection.
         /// </remarks>
         /// <param name="objectName">Name of the object.</param>
-        /// <param name="mod">The merged object definition to determine the type for.</param>
+        /// <param name="mod">The merged object definition to determine the type for. May be <c>null</c></param>
         /// <returns>The type of the object, or <code>null</code> if not predictable</returns>
         protected virtual Type PredictObjectType(string objectName, RootObjectDefinition mod)
         {
-            if (StringUtils.HasText(mod.FactoryObjectName))
+            if (mod == null || StringUtils.HasText(mod.FactoryObjectName))
             {
                 return null;
             }
diff --git a/src/Spring/Spring.Services/Remoting/SaoExporter.cs b/src/Spring/Spring.Services/Remoting/SaoExporter.cs
index 18a74089..4ec33d7f 100644
--- a/src/Spring/Spring.Services/Remoting/SaoExporter.cs
+++ b/src/Spring/Spring.Services/Remoting/SaoExporter.cs
@@ -249,10 +249,26 @@ namespace Spring.Remoting
             }
 
             IProxyTypeBuilder builder = new SaoRemoteObjectProxyTypeBuilder( this );
-            builder.TargetType = this.objectFactory.GetType( targetName );
-            if (interfaces != null && interfaces.Length > 0)
+            Type targetType = this.objectFactory.GetType( targetName );
+            if (targetType == null)
             {
-                builder.Interfaces = TypeResolutionUtils.ResolveInterfaceArray( interfaces );
+                // perform full object retrieval if type cannot be predicted - this will 
+                // also cause any object creation exceptions to be thrown
+                targetType = this.objectFactory.GetObject(targetName).GetType();
+            }
+
+            if (targetType.IsInterface)
+            {
+                builder.Interfaces = new Type[] { targetType };
+                builder.TargetType = typeof(object);
+            }
+            else
+            {
+                if (interfaces != null && interfaces.Length > 0)
+                {
+                    builder.Interfaces = TypeResolutionUtils.ResolveInterfaceArray(interfaces);
+                }
+                builder.TargetType = targetType;
             }
 
             Type proxyType = builder.BuildProxyType();
diff --git a/test/Spring/Spring.Services.Tests/Remoting/SaoExporterTests.cs b/test/Spring/Spring.Services.Tests/Remoting/SaoExporterTests.cs
index 2cac107c..a7fb4d96 100644
--- a/test/Spring/Spring.Services.Tests/Remoting/SaoExporterTests.cs
+++ b/test/Spring/Spring.Services.Tests/Remoting/SaoExporterTests.cs
@@ -22,33 +22,52 @@
 
 using System;
 using NUnit.Framework;
+using Rhino.Mocks;
+using Spring.Aop.Framework;
+using Spring.Core.IO;
 using Spring.Objects;
+using Spring.Objects.Factory;
 using Spring.Objects.Factory.Support;
+using Spring.Objects.Factory.Xml;
 
 #endregion
 
 namespace Spring.Remoting
 {
-	/// <summary>
-	/// Unit tests for the SaoExporter class.
-	/// </summary>
-	/// <author>Bruno Baia</author>
-	/// <author>Mark Pollack</author>
-	[TestFixture]
-	public class SaoExporterTests : BaseRemotingTestFixture
-	{
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Unit tests for the SaoExporter class.
+    /// </summary>
+    /// <author>Bruno Baia</author>
+    /// <author>Mark Pollack</author>
+    [TestFixture]
+    public class SaoExporterTests : BaseRemotingTestFixture
+    {
         [Test]
-		[ExpectedException(typeof(ArgumentException))]
-		public void BailsWhenNotConfigured ()
-		{
-			SaoExporter exp = new SaoExporter();
-			exp.AfterPropertiesSet();
-		}
+        [ExpectedException(typeof(ArgumentException))]
+        public void BailsWhenNotConfigured()
+        {
+            SaoExporter exp = new SaoExporter();
+            exp.AfterPropertiesSet();
+        }
+
+        [Test]
+        [ExpectedException(typeof(NoSuchObjectDefinitionException))]
+        public void BailsIfTargetNotFound()
+        {
+            using (DefaultListableObjectFactory of = new DefaultListableObjectFactory())
+            {
+                SaoExporter saoExporter = new SaoExporter();
+                saoExporter.ObjectFactory = of;
+                saoExporter.TargetName = "DOESNOTEXIST";
+                saoExporter.ServiceName = "RemotedSaoSingletonCounter";
+                saoExporter.AfterPropertiesSet();
+            }
+        }
 
         [Test]
         public void ExportSingleton()
         {
-            using(DefaultListableObjectFactory of = new DefaultListableObjectFactory())
+            using (DefaultListableObjectFactory of = new DefaultListableObjectFactory())
             {
                 of.RegisterSingleton("simpleCounter", new SimpleCounter());
                 SaoExporter saoExporter = new SaoExporter();
@@ -58,7 +77,7 @@ namespace Spring.Remoting
                 saoExporter.AfterPropertiesSet();
                 of.RegisterSingleton("simpleCounterExporter", saoExporter); // also tests SaoExporter.Dispose()!
 
-                ISimpleCounter client = (ISimpleCounter) Activator.GetObject(typeof(ISimpleCounter), "tcp://localhost:8005/RemotedSaoSingletonCounter" );
+                ISimpleCounter client = (ISimpleCounter)Activator.GetObject(typeof(ISimpleCounter), "tcp://localhost:8005/RemotedSaoSingletonCounter");
                 client.Count();
                 client.Count();
 
@@ -69,7 +88,7 @@ namespace Spring.Remoting
         [Test]
         public void ExportSingleCall()
         {
-            using(DefaultListableObjectFactory of = new DefaultListableObjectFactory())
+            using (DefaultListableObjectFactory of = new DefaultListableObjectFactory())
             {
                 of.RegisterObjectDefinition("simpleCounter", new RootObjectDefinition(typeof(SimpleCounter), false));
                 SaoExporter saoExporter = new SaoExporter();
@@ -79,11 +98,62 @@ namespace Spring.Remoting
                 saoExporter.AfterPropertiesSet();
                 of.RegisterSingleton("simpleCounterExporter", saoExporter); // also tests SaoExporter.Dispose()!
 
-                ISimpleCounter client = (ISimpleCounter) Activator.GetObject(typeof(ISimpleCounter), "tcp://localhost:8005/RemotedSaoSingleCallCounter" );
+                ISimpleCounter client = (ISimpleCounter)Activator.GetObject(typeof(ISimpleCounter), "tcp://localhost:8005/RemotedSaoSingleCallCounter");
                 client.Count();
                 client.Count();
                 Assert.AreEqual(0, client.Counter);
             }
         }
-	}
+
+        /// <summary>
+        /// Checks that exp an IFactoryObject.ObjectType returns an interface type, 
+        /// </summary>
+        [Test(Description = "http://jira.springframework.org/browse/SPRNET-1251")]
+        public void CanExportFromInterfaceTargetType()
+        {
+            using (DefaultListableObjectFactory of = new DefaultListableObjectFactory())
+            {
+                MockRepository mocks = new MockRepository();
+                IFactoryObject simpleCounterFactory = (IFactoryObject) mocks.DynamicMock(typeof (IFactoryObject));
+                Expect.Call(simpleCounterFactory.ObjectType).Return(typeof (ISimpleCounter));
+                Expect.Call(simpleCounterFactory.IsSingleton).Return(true);
+                Expect.Call(simpleCounterFactory.GetObject()).Return(new SimpleCounter());
+
+                mocks.ReplayAll();
+
+                of.RegisterSingleton("simpleCounter", simpleCounterFactory);
+                SaoExporter saoExporter = new SaoExporter();
+                saoExporter.ObjectFactory = of;
+                saoExporter.TargetName = "simpleCounter";
+                saoExporter.ServiceName = "RemotedSaoCallCounter";
+                saoExporter.AfterPropertiesSet();
+
+//                XmlObjectDefinitionReader reader = new XmlObjectDefinitionReader(of);
+//                reader.LoadObjectDefinitions(new StringResource(
+//                                                 @"<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8' ?>
+//<objects xmlns='http://www.springframework.net' xmlns:r='http://www.springframework.net/remoting'>  
+//    
+//    <r:saoExporter id='ISimpleCounterExporter' targetName='ISimpleCounterProxy' serviceName='RemotedSaoCounterProxy' />
+//    
+//    <object id='ISimpleCounter' type='Spring.Remoting.SimpleCounter, Spring.Services.Tests' />
+//
+//    <object id='ISimpleCounterProxy' type='Spring.Aop.Framework.ProxyFactoryObject, Spring.Aop'>
+//        <property name='proxyInterfaces' value='Spring.Remoting.ISimpleCounter' />
+//        <property name='target' ref='ISimpleCounter'/>
+//    </object>
+//</objects>
+//"));
+//                SaoExporter saoExporter = (SaoExporter) of.GetObject("ISimpleCounterExporter");
+//                Assert.IsNotNull(saoExporter);
+
+                ISimpleCounter client = (ISimpleCounter)Activator.GetObject(typeof(ISimpleCounter), "tcp://localhost:8005/RemotedSaoCallCounter");
+                client.Count();
+                client.Count();
+
+                Assert.AreEqual(2, client.Counter);
+
+                mocks.VerifyAll();
+            }
+        }
+    }
 }