Victorian based sires Bel Esprit and Reset stole the spotlight from the Hunter Valley heavyweights on Cox Plate day.

Eliza Park resident Bel Esprit is used to the headlines with his mare Black Caviar.  The world champion increased her unbeaten run to 15 in the G2 MVRC Schweppes Stakes.  

Reset is based at Darley’s Northwood Stud base at Seymour and he reached a career high when Pinker Pinker surprised with a G1 victory over Kiwi champion Jimmy Choux in the Cox Plate.

Reset (Zabeel) has lived in the shadow of Darley’s Kelvinside sires Lonhro and Exceed And Excel since the trio retired in 2004.  Reset sired G1 Victoria Derby winner Rebel Raider in his first crop but the other two have been whirlwinds at stud.

Pinker Pinker (4m Reset – Miss Marion by Success Express) is raced by David and Carol Kirby and is a $120,000 graduate from Milford Thoroughbreds at the 2009 Inglis Melbourne Premier yearling sale.  She is out of a three-quarter sister to stakes performer Sipowicz.

Pinker Pinker won the G2 Angus Armanasco Stakes and G3 Matron Stakes during the autumn carnival and returned this season for a G2 victory in the Let’s Elope Stakes.  She went into the Cox Plate after finishing a game second to Secret Admirer in the G1 Epsom Handicap at Randwick.

Her dam Miss Marion foaled a colt by Denman recently and is booked in to be covered by Lonhro in the coming weeks.

Reset has sired 14 individual stakes winners and standing at Northwood Park at a fee of $16,500 (inc gst).