Two horses trying to win their first race and a relation to a Golden Slipper winner can go some way towards replenishing Gai Waterhouse's spring stocks at Canterbury on Wednesday.

In Regatta Rebel and Dark Steel, Waterhouse has the early favourites to win separate divisions of a maiden race for three-year-olds.

And Skylimit, a three-quarter brother to the 2013 Golden Slipper winner Overreach, occupies the same ranking in betting in the TAB.com.au Handicap.

Waterhouse heads into the serious part of the spring without Vancouver and Tulloch Lodge spokesman Mark Newnham said there was an opportunity for the stable's midweek runners to fill part of the void left by the $40 million colt's early defection.

"Hopefully the three-year-olds can both get a win on the board and progress to something better," Newnham said.

"As for Skylimit, it's a good race to start him off in.

"It's a bit of a similar situation to the other two in that he can tell us then where he is at."

Bookmakers have Dark Steel as the shortest of the Waterhouse trio as he lines up for his first start since finishing down the course to Winx in the Sunshine Coast Guineas.

Regatta Rebel also resumes after her only two starts last season delivered stakes placings at Randwick and the Gold Coast.

"She went fantastically well when she made her debut behind Furnaces at Randwick and the form out of the Gold Coast race has turned out to be quite strong," Newnham said.

Dark Steel and Regatta Rebel are raced by Greg and Donna Kolivos, the owners who hit the jackpot with the 2012 Golden Slipper-winning colt Pierro.

They are both among entries for important races during the Melbourne spring carnival with Dark Steel a Caulfield Guineas nomination and Regatta Rebel figuring on the list of Thousand Guineas hopefuls.