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Pierro's standing as a classic sire is set to get another valuable boost from his exciting three-year-old son Shadow Hero.

Pierro's reputation was built on his superb record as a two and three-year-old when he was the champion colt of Australia.

He won the 2YO grand slam in 2012 when he swept the Golden Slipper Stakes, ATC Sires' Produce Stakes and Champagne Stakes in an unbeaten season of six wins and at three added G1 wins in the Canterbury Stakes and George Ryder Stakes and three G2 wins to his record before his retirement to Coolmore Stud.

Pierro recorded al his wins up to 1600m and at his only start over a longer trip as a 3YO finished third in the 2013 WS Cox Plate won by Ocean Park.

Yet he is having no trouble producing outstanding performers who excel over a distance, evidenced by his G1 classic winners Levendi (ATC Australian Derby) and Pinot (VRC Oaks) and his oustanding Perth winner Arcadia Queen (Kingston Town Stakes).

Shadow Hero is poised to join this elite group with the G1 Spring Champion Stakes and G1 Victoria Derby looming large for the impressive colt after his dominant win in the G3 Gloaming Stakes at Rosehill last Saturday.

A $260,000 Classic Sale product, Shadow Hero is trained by Mark Newnham for Hong Kong-based Sweetbriar Equine and extends the association the emerging trainer has held with Pierro almost from the time he was an unraced 2YO.

Newnham was a former stable jockey for Gai Waterhouse and was Pierro's trackwork rider right through his two-year-old season.

Newnham graduated to become Waterhouse's trusted stable foreman before deciding to pursue his own training career three years ago.

He is already a dual G1 winning trainer with the fillies Maid Of Heaven and Nakeeta Jane among 13 Group and Listed wins but realizes he has a special talent in Shadow Hero,

Maid Of Heaven gave Newnham his first G1 win in last year's Champion Stakes and that is the immediate target for Shadow Hero, who has raced just five times for two wins and two placings.

"His demeanour will take him a long way. He's so relaxed," Newnham said.

"Don't worry, we haven't put blinkers on him yet. He's a bit like Pierro in that sense - you put the blinkers on and he turns into a superhero."

Sweetbriar's David Lui said Newnham didn't hold back on his early opinion of Shadow Hero.

"We found him at the Classic Sale and gave him to Mark Newnham straight away. Mark told me earlier this year this horse is something special and now we are really seeing that," Lui said.

Shadow Hero ( Pierro x Sookie by Casino Prince) was bred by Pierro's owners Greg and Donna Kolivos and is one of 18 individual stakes winners by their former champion whose overall total now stands at 172 winners from 263 runners. They also include his crack sprinter and g1 winner Pierata.

Shadow Hero is the second winner out of the G3 winner Sookie after Picaro, who was sold for $NZ100,000 NZB Karaka sale as a yearling and won four of his 21 starts. The Kolivos family purchased Sookie when they were looking for foundation mares for Pierro.

Sookie's latest yearling, a filly by Not A Single Doubt, was sold for $550,000 at this year's Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Named Lady Grazier, she is a recent barrier trial winner in Brisbane for Tony Gollan.

Sookie is out of the unraced Encosta de Lago mare Purple Blood, a daughter of the champion two-year-old filly Victory Vein (Mr Henrysee).

Newnham also has a big show in this year's VRC Oaks with the Hinchinbrok filly Celestial Falls, winner of last week's VRC Oaks Trial at Flemington.