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Reliable Man.

Photo credit \ Warwick Media

Sydney Beckons Promising Mare

A trip to Australia is on the radar for Reliable Man’s latest black-type performer following She’s A Maneater’s strong opening to her winter preparation.

The progressive five-year-old produced an eye-catching second-up performance in her first crack at stakes company at New Plymouth when third in Saturday’s Listed Opunake Cup.

The lightly tried mare had returned from a five-month break at her previous appearance to score over 1200 metres at Tauranga and now has five victories up to 2100 metres and two placings from 13 appearances.

“She will probably head to Sydney for some nice fillies and mares’ races to try and get some black type,” trainer Peter Lock said.

“After chatting to the owners, we thought it would be a better option to have a go over there and then come home for some of the nicer races here in the spring.”

She’s A Maneater is raced by her breeders Gerard Petersen, under his Gee Gee Equine banner, and Rod Duke and is out of the Zabeel mare Ebony And Ivory. 

She hails from the famous Heights family with G1 Melbourne Cup and G1 Caulfield Cup winner Viewed and the G1 Telegraph Handicap winner Aventador also on the pedigree page.

Meanwhile, Reliable Man’s associate sire Tarzino was represented by another dominant winner when the Westbury Stud stallion’s son Mortar relished the step up to a middle distance at Mildura.

The Henry Dwyer-trained three-year-old had weighed in three times from his previous four starts over shorter trips and the 2000 metres proved the distance to showcase his staying potential.

Rider Mitchell Aitken took any bad luck out of the equation by freewheeling in front and Mortar needed a minimum of encouragement to stride clear in the run home and saunter home by 3.25l.

“Mitch rode him beautifully and it all panned out perfectly. He will probably improve further with headgear and will be better next preparation so it’s softly, softly with him,” Dwyer said.

Mortar was purchased out of Westbury’s Ready to Run Sale draft at Karaka for $100,000 with Dwyer, Roll The Dice and John Foote Bloodstock signing the ticket.

He is the third winner for the More Than Ready mare Readyor, who was a talented race mare with four wins including the Listed Keith Mackay Handicap.

She is a half-sister to the black-type winner Agister and their dam is a half-sister to the G1 Galaxy Handicap winner La Baraka and the immediate family of the Group 1 winners Alizee and Astern.

Readyor’s Swiss Ace yearling colt sold to Graeme Rogerson at Karaka earlier this year for $145,000 and the mare foaled a sister to Mortar in 2021.