On Saturday at the first Melbourne meeting of the new season David Hall unearthed a potential stakes performer in the form of Crystal Decanter.

And in a major boost for the sire, leading Melbourne trainer David Hall confessed to being a major fan of the young sire.

"She (Crystal Decanter) is the only horse I have by him (Encosta de Lago)," Hall said. "But I wish I had some more."

"He is an excellent sire and he's obviously the reason this horse has got as much ability as she has shown," Hall added.

"The mare's first couple of other runners by other sires were pretty ordinary."

Bred and owned by Robin Bell the filly proved much too strong for a good line up of three-year-old fillies in the JB Hi-Fi Handicap (1000m).

Winning trainer David Hall said he expected better things from the filly after her soft win at her debut run.

"We'll see how she pulls up before we decided where she goes next," Hall said. "But we might look to some of the stakes races in early part of the spring."

Hall said the stable had experienced a couple of problems before her first run, which had prevented her debut from being as late as now.

"She'd always shown us something, but she was a bit shinny (shin-sore) early on and then she flipped over behind the barriers at Ballarat and had to trial again," Hall said.

Last season Encosta de Lago was the talk of the town through the achievements of an amazing group of exciting young performers like the Group One performers Chong Tong, Gold Lottey, Delago Brom, Night Chaser, the stakes winners Lashed and Dragila and black type performers Tuscanos, Largo and Betula.

He is also the sire of the Adelaide Magic Millions hero Mikshake and a swag of city winners including Mystic Elle, Grand Falls, Gazania, Lady Mulroy, Merv's Wish, Encosta Legend, Encosterino, Malapert, Circumnavigating, Titanic Jack, Delargo, Terrenora, Gibernau, Costalette, Mislaid, Prophet Jewel and Stella Cavallo.

Encosta de Lago is standing the 2002 season at Victoria's Blue Gum Farm, and not surprisingly he is fully booked out.

PICS - Quentin Lang.

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