Lauriston Park's Chris Bakker could not be more delighted at the start his well credentialled young stallion Rock Hero has made to his stud career, the regally bred son of Fastnet Rock siring the sort of foals to impress any stud master.

"His foals have been looking good at birth but we did not want to get ahead of ourselves getting excited," Bakker said. "But after a few weeks we have got happier and happier - he is siring an exceptional type."

And it's not just Bakker saying that, the stud fielding phone calls from around the state from very happy breeders keen to book their mares in for a return visit to Rock Hero.

"One breeder told us his Rock Hero foals are the best he has bred," Bakker said.

"We are so very pleased with our Rock Hero filly out of Rainhill," said breeder Rob Stutchbury. "We were hoping that he would put some size into the foal and he has. She is very much in the mould of her sire, all quality."

Rock Hero's breeder John Cordina, who raced the bay to a stunning Dulcify Quality victory, is also happy.

"I am thrilled with the first crop of Rock Hero foals. It is a great sign that he is stamping his progeny, upgrading mares and siring foals with good bone, strength and scope."

"They a great types, very athletic," he said, adding that he can see some of the traits of Rock Hero's outstanding dam Gallant Tess and her sire Galileo coming through.

A dual Group Two winner of over $800,000 in stakes, Gallant Tess produced Rock Hero as her first foal and Cordina has plenty to look forward to with this family - Gallant Tess' All Too Hard two-year-old joining the David Payne stable whilst her yearling by Snitzel has been described by Kitchwin Hills as "an exceptional filly."

Gallant Tess produced another great looking foal, a Snitzel colt, a couple of weeks ago and Cordina has booked her in for a return visit to Rock Hero's sire Fastnet Rock.

Cordina was somewhat of a trail blazer when he first sent Gallant Tess to Fastnet Rock - the cross of that champion stallion with Galileo mares proving to be a simply outstanding one.

To date there have been 38 runners bred on the cross, 29 of whom have been winners - a 76.3% strike rate compared to Fastnet Rock's overall ratio of 66.4%.

And even more impressive is the fact that eight of those winners are stakes winners (including the Group One winners Qualify, Magicool and Intricately) - a 21% hit rate compared to Fastnet Rock's already excellent 7.9% black type stats.

Add in the fact that Rock Hero, as a descendant of the famed matriarch Mumtaz Mahal, hails from one of the world's great stallion families, and he is a young stallion with plenty to offer.