A stalking horse is used to mean pretend. The word stalk means waiting to hunt in ambush. The expression has possibly come down from the ambush the Greeks created for the Trojans in the form of the Trojan Horse. The Trojans worshipped horses. Knowing that, and failing after after repeated attempts to penetrate Troy, the Greeks created a giant horse, and put some of their best soldiers inside them. The Trojans brought the horse inside the city, and as the dark approached the Greeks destroyed Troy.
Sample Usage
1. The demands of the trade union seem only a stalking horse to blackmail the management.
2. He is a really a stalking horse, his previous records shows no achievements by him.
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