When Palentino first stepped out in public – at the 2014 Tasmanian Magic Millions Yearling Sale – the flashy chestnut with the big, white blaze caught the eye of visiting Victorian trainer, Darren Weir.
So much so that Weir paid $85,000 to take the colt home, which turned out to be top price for that year’s auction.
Weir clearly hasn’t regretted his decision either with Palentino winning the Group Two Incognitus Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday and, in the 1:35.44 it took him to do so, his career earnings surged to over $1.1 million.
It was an impressive display and his many owners did their best to emulate the celebrations of She Will Reign’s connections up in Sydney. Maybe not quite as rowdy, but pretty close!
It was win #5 for Palentino and he’s turned into something of a Flemington specialist over the ‘mile’, with the Blamey being the icing on a cake which had previously been layered by victories in the Group One Australian Guineas last March and the Group One Makybe Diva in the spring.
Emulating the Champion Sire, Zabeel, as the only horse to capture the Guineas/Makybe double, Palentino is definitely a horse for that course, but while the wide open expanses of Flemington clearly suit his racing style, the 4YO has also ran Group One fourths at Moonee Valley and Caulfield.
Apart from enhancing the resume, the Blamey is also another stride closer to a promising career in the stallion barn after Sun Stud had purchased a share in the Teofilo entire immediately following the Guineas win.
However, while there was a surety with the way Palentino hit the wire in the Blamey, there is still plenty of conjecture as to what will be the next cab off the rank for the horse.
“Sun Stud has been terrific with Palentino,” Weir points out. “They’ve been really patient and haven’t been pushing to send him to stud despite a pair of Group Ones and now a Group Two on his record.
“The ($3 million) Doncaster Mile in a fortnight is definitely an option but we’ll just wait for the dust to settle before deciding what to do next. What I do know is that he’s got all the makings of being a very good stallion.”
Sun Stud’s Managing Director, Danielle Cheng, was equally taken with the performance and similarly weighing up the options.
“That was a great win by Palentino … people have a very good opinion of the second horse (Tosen Stardom) who was only beaten a nose by Black Heart Bart at his most recent start in the Group One Futurity.
“Palentino had to give Tosen Stardom four kilos in the Blamey, but our horse managed to race away to win by over three lengths.
“There are a lot of reasons to send Palentino to stud this year but equally, some compelling reasons to keep him racing.
“There’s even a chance he might race overseas … Sun Stud is a global operation and Palentino could be a real hit in Europe. He really is a striking individual and his sire, Teofilo, has an excellent record in the northern hemisphere.”
Sun Stud figured prominently at the 2017 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale earlier this month, purchasing three yearlings, including $625,000 for a well-related Snitzel colt, and is again likely to be active at the Inglis Sydney Easter Yearling Sale which commences on 5 April.
