Being the sibling to a champion is a lot to live up to but trainer Guy Walter believes Hood is finally finding his own way in racing.A half-brother to 13-time Group One winner Tie The Knot, Hood has raced eight times for two restricted wins and lines up in a 1550m no metropolitan win race at Canterbury on Wednesday."He has been a slow-learning horse who has given us mixed signals," Walter said."He's a big strong fellow and one day he wants to pull and other days he settles."But he's starting to

Being the sibling to a champion is a lot to live up to but trainer Guy Walter believes Hood is finally finding his own way in racing.

A half-brother to 13-time Group One winner Tie The Knot, Hood has raced eight times for two restricted wins and lines up in a 1550m no metropolitan win race at Canterbury on Wednesday.

"He has been a slow-learning horse who has given us mixed signals," Walter said.

"He's a big strong fellow and one day he wants to pull and other days he settles.

"But he's starting to mature and show signs perhaps he could get up to races around 2000 metres."

Hood is by Shamardal out of Whisked who died last year after giving birth to a Strategic filly.

Walter has trained all the progeny of the mare including Tie The Knot and also prepares Canterbury runner Isola, a granddaughter of Whisked.

Like Hood, she is a four-year-old who has won two races - one at Goulburn and the other at Hawkesbury - and she also runs over 1550 metres.

Both race in the famous red and white colours of the Tait family.

"She has always shown promise and if she can run well tomorrow she may go to Melbourne for one of the mares races over the carnival," Walter said.

"Hood could also go down there depending on how he goes at Canterbury."

A definite runner in Melbourne for Walter is Digital Fortress, winner of his past two starts in Sydney on his way to a start in the Victoria Derby on October 30.

Digital Fortress is by Savabeel who won the Cox Plate as a three-year-old before running second in the Victoria Derby.

He put in a determined performance on a heavy Warwick Farm track on Monday to claim his second career win from six starts.

"He will go to Melbourne and run in either the Norman Robinson or the Vase on Cox Plate day," Walter said.

"We'll decide if he backs up in the Derby after that."

Walter has some unfinished Derby business with Tie The Knot runner-up to Second Coming in the 1997 Victoria Derby and second to Gold Guru in the AJC Australian Derby the following autumn.

Stakes winner Al Dhafra is also likely to join his Melbourne team along with another stablemate Willy Jimmy.

Al Dhafra finished eighth, beaten just three lengths, in The Shorts on Saturday won by Hot Danish while Willy Jimmy has won his past two starts at Warwick Farm.