No Spring, But Door Not Completely Shut on Reliable Man

The bad news is Reliable Man is no chance of unleashing his electric turn of foot in this year’s Cox Plate. The good news is his racing days may not be over.

Reliable Man will not race this spring. Photo by: Steve Hart.

Initial fears that the injury suffered during the import’s stunning Queen Elizabeth Stakes win would end his career have been allayed but trainer Chris Waller has confirmed he will not feature at Melbourne’s spring carnival.

Owners are currently in the middle of stud negotiations for the talented grey but if they fall through Waller is keen to give his charge another crack in the autumn.

The five-year-old stallion prospect has had just two starts for Waller, running sixth in the George Ryder Stakes before becoming a dual hemisphere Group 1 winner when blowing away It’s A Dundeel by 2 1/2 lengths in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

Reliable Man’s Queen Elizabeth performance was so impressive that his trainer, and plenty of other experts, were tipping him to be among the top contenders in this year’s Cox Plate.

“His overseas rating suggested he would be a genuine Cox Plate chance provided he found that form and I think he got close to that form when he won the Queen Elizabeth,” Waller told TVN.

“He is an outstanding horse. I’m not going to say he would have won the Cox Plate, that’s crazy, but I think he would have been a genuine chance in  all the lead ups and the Cox Plate.”

Waller said he was relieved to find out the horse will make a full recovery and has outlined the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes and George Ryder Stakes as probable autumn goals if he races on.

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