Gelding wins Sandown Stakes and becomes 34th stakes winner for former Darley sire

The Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Junipal (5 g ex Palatine Hill by Palace Music) landed a much deserved stakes success when he took out the Sandown Stakes (Gr 3, 1500m) on Saturday and in the process became stakes winner number 34 for the now retired Darley sire Reset (Zabeel). 

After winning two starts in September, the gelding finished ninth in the Toorak Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) and he clearly appreciated the step down in class, beating Kenya (Galileo) by a length and a quarter. Buffalo River (Noble Mission) was another length adrift in third. 

The gelding is out of four-time winner Palatine Hill (Palace Music), making him a half-brother to Australian Guineas (Gr 1, 1600m) and now Sun Stud-based sire Palentino (Teofilo) and further four winners. 

Palatine Hill herself is a half-sister to Listed winners Sublimity (Testa Rossa) and Rather Grand (Grand Lodge), the gelding also hails from the same family as Meteoroid (Northern Meteor). 

Palatine Hill’s 2018 colt by Snitzel (Redoute’s Choice) was purchased by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott for $300,000 at this year’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, now named Prince Of Rome he is unraced. In 2019 the mare produced a colt by Sun Stud-based sire Magnus (Flying Spur) and she has most recently foaled colt by Arrowfield Stud shuttler Mikki Isle (Deep Impact).

Reset was retired from stud duties last year.