The first offspring of champion gallopers Pierro and All Too Hard have created a strong impression during the first few months of the new season in Australia but Sydney's premier trainer Chris Waller is eagerly awaiting the progeny of another first season sire.
Pierro and All Too Hard, along with (It's A) Dundeel, Epaulette, and Proisir, come from arguably the best crop of three-year-olds seen since 1995-96 which featured the likes of Octagonal, Saintly, Nothin' Leica Dane, and Filante.
Although Pierro and All Too Hard are yet to register a winner, their small number of runners have turned heads at metropolitan meetings and barrier trials.
The first season sires with offspring to race in 2016-17 are an eclectic bunch, ranging from speedsters like Delago Deluxe and Squamosa to 2010 Melbourne Cup winner Americain.
But perhaps the most exciting of them all is Reliable Man, described by jockey Hugh Bowman as the best horse he had sat on after annexing the 2013 Group I Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) and defeating a rampant It's A Dundeel in the process. In his Australian debut, Reliable Man, finished 1-1/2 lengths off Pierro in the Group I George Ryder Stakes (1500m).
Reliable Man was only seen twice in Australia which may have diminished his stallion profile somewhat but early reports of his progeny have been bullish.
Last month in New Zealand a Reliable Man gelding won a barrier trial by more than 10 lengths while Chris Waller, who trained the son of Dalakhani in his two Australian starts, expects the first of his four Reliable Man two-year-olds to hit the track during the new year period.
"They are a very natural type of two-year-old that move well," Waller said.
"Reliable Man was quite a free moving horse with a bit of brilliance and I can see a bit of that already.
"I honestly think if he had just a couple more weeks in Australia before the George Ryder Stakes he could have won that as well because he was far more than just a 2000 metre horse.
"I love buying milers. If you buy a stayer, they are often too slow and it can take a long time to figure out if they are any good, and if you buy a sprinter, there's not much to look forward to if they can't sprint. So milers are the perfect type of horse to buy because it gives you more options and Reliable Man fits that bill."
