It’s been a testing and very patient ride for connections so far, but a promising colt is set to reignite the faith at the Kembla Grange meeting on Thursday.

Walk The Pier, a three-year-old in the John O’Shea and Tim Charlton stable at Randwick, lines up for only his second start in a strong Super Maiden Plate over 1400m, four weeks after a long-awaited and luckless debut at the same track.

Well backed over 1300m, Walk The Pier settled last before rattling home to only miss by a long neck, and really should have won having been checked and pushed off the track halfway down the straight.

It was enough to suggest plenty of wins were in store for this big-striding colt who will no doubt peak when he gets up to a mile or even beyond.

The market, though, will likely have a big say, with the stable also accepting for debutant Mama Joy, a filly by prolific staying sire Dundeel which starts her career behind two easy trials.

Naturally, the three-year-old metro invasion doesn’t stop there.

The Chris Waller stable has progressive colt Secure engaged second-up, Overland is an each-way chance second-up for the Bryce Heys yard; well-bred Iconify has his second start for Ciaron Maher after an eye-catching debut at Hawkesbury; while Carnegie Hill is another each-way chance third-up for the Michael Freedman stable.

Walk The Pier is by the smart and still under-rated sire Alabama Express, which won the Group 1 C. F. Orr Stakes at Caulfield in 2020 during a brief eight-race career that yielded four wins.

It’s taken a while for his progeny to make waves, but they are now starting to have an impact on both sides of the Tasman.