Cover image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Following a successful 15-start career, which included wins at Group 2 and Group 3 level, as well as a placing in a time-honored Group 1, the beautifully bred entire Oxley Road has been retired, and connections of the 5-year-old son of Exceed And Excel believe he has the trademarks to make it as a stallion.
Oxley Road’s trainer, Peter Moody, lavished praise on the sprinter, saying he was a lovely horse that possessed incredible speed.
Peter Moody | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“He’s as fast a colt as I’ve trained in my career, he’s up there with the likes of Magnus and Hinchinbrook,” Moody told TDN AusNZ.
“For brute speed, I haven’t trained many quicker. He’s always had brilliant and unbelievable speed. There were very few horses that could match with him from the gates for 600 or 800 metres if you really just let him run, he just had unbelievable speed as that’s a big positive as it works in Australia, we’ve seen it time and time again.
“He had great natural ability from the outset and I always thought he was going to be a top echelon sprinter.”
“He (Oxley Road's) had great natural ability from the outset and I always thought he was going to be a top echelon sprinter.” - Peter Moody
Need for speed
Renowned bloodstock agent, Mark Player, of International Thoroughbred Solutions (FBAA), has a wealth of experience, having worked in a variety of roles across the globe.
He is fielding expressions of interest for Oxley Road and is confident the Group 2 winner will have no shortage of suitors, given the qualities he possesses.
“So much of the Australian industry is based on the fundamental need for speed and clearly Oxley Road was one of the fastest horses of his generation,” Player told TDN AusNZ.
“So much of the Australian industry is based on the fundamental need for speed and clearly Oxley Road was one of the fastest horses of his generation.” - Mark Player
“He’s a beautifully bred colt, too.
“We’ve seen so many stallions that have started off at a modest level have an enormous impact and Oxley Road is a horse that has the physical makeup and speed to perform at a high level.”
He performed at the high level consistently too. Oxley Road raced 15 times, with 12 of those at Group or Listed level, winning three races and placing in a further four, amassing earnings of just shy of $500,000.
Mark Player | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
Moody’s early prediction of Oxley Road being a speed horse was bang on the money, with Oxley Road mixing it with some of the best sprinters in the land after stepping out for the first time in January 2021.
Sent out a warm favourite on debut at Flemington, Oxley Road won easily (on a Heavy 9), before taking out the G3 Zeditave S. in comfortable fashion at his second start.
In the spring of 2021, he added the G2 Caulfield Sprint to his CV, and in the autumn of 2022, the lightning-quick sprinter ran a blinder in the G1 Oakleigh Plate, finishing third behind Marabi (I Am Invincible) after jumping from gate nine and being wide throughout.
“Even though he won his maiden on heavy ground, he was never adept in the conditions and it always took away from him, unfortunately, throughout his career.
"I reckon a couple of runs under those conditions took away the horse’s confidence, which is something I’ve really struggled to restore and is a tragedy, because I always thought he was a colt with Group 1 ability and his form really shows that,” Moody explained.
“He was an unbelievably sound horse, but his confidence waned a bit on wet ground and ultimately brought about his undoing after a successful career.”
Moody said the combination of racetrack ability, a lovely temperament and a great pedigree make Oxley Road an exciting stallion proposition.
“I believe his stallion career will surpass his racetrack career, which in some ways is unfortunate, because I believe his race record deserved more,” he said.
“I believe his (Oxley Road) stallion career will surpass his racetrack career, which in some ways is unfortunate, because I believe his race record deserved more.” - Peter Moody
“He’s a lovely horse, he’s been beautiful to do anything with.
“Exceed And Excel is a horse that just keeps reinventing himself year after year. It’s an unbelievable sireline and there’s a chance he will have two or three in the Golden Slipper again this year, including the favourite Cylinder. He’s just a phenomenal stallion.”
Bred in the purple
Bred by Nick Vass, Oxley Road is the resultant foal of a mating between Champion Sire Exceed And Excel and the five-time winner Bonnie Mac (NZ) (Thorn Park) and she herself was victorious in the Listed Proud Miss S. in 2012.
The then-colt was consigned by Newgate Farm at the 2019 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, where top Singapore-based Kiwi trainer, Stephen Gray, paid $125,000 for him.
Oxley Road as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
Oxley Road is a brother to Exceedance, the G1 Coolmore Stud S. champion of 2019, who stands at Vinery Stud at a fee of $33,000 (inc GST), and is a half-brother to the dual Listed scorer Mac ‘N’ Cheese (Sebring).
“We wanted to buy an Exceed And Excel yearling… I do a lot of work on pedigrees and genetics and he was one that came up on our list. I went and saw him and although was probably a little bit behind the eight ball at the time, I could see he would mature into a nice horse.
“He was a nice horse and I liked the pedigree, especially the second and third dam, and I just thought he ticked all the boxes.”
“He (Oxley Road) was a nice horse and I liked the pedigree, especially the second and third dam, and I just thought he ticked all the boxes.” - Stephen Gray
When Gray first got his hands on the horse, the plan was for him to head to race in Singapore. That soon changed, however.
“He trialled-up really good in New Zealand, then Exceedance showed a bit, so we decided to keep him there (New Zealand) and maybe run him as a 2-year-old, before sending him to Australia,” Gray explained.
“COVID hit New Zealand, so they shut down and we decided to spell him. COVID stopped the flow of going backwards and forwards between Australia and New Zealand - that’s what delayed any chance of him running at two.
“Peter returned to training, so I called him to see if he would take him. He went there and turned out to be a very good horse.”
“COVID stopped the flow of going backwards and forwards between Australia and New Zealand - that’s what delayed any chance of him running at two.” - Stephen Gray
Gray echoed Moody’s sentiments regarding Oxley Road’s qualities and highlighted his physical attributes.
“The mother is a blue hen mare and she’s done it. He’s got a lot of scope to him, he’s tall, he’s fast, so I think, ‘Why wouldn’t he be appealing?’,” Gray remarked.
“If we can get him a good home and get him a chance, why couldn’t he make it?
Oxley Road | Image courtesy of The Image Is Everything
“If he was to start off with the right stud and the right support, and he’s affordable to go to… he just needs an opportunity.
“He’s a lovely horse, he’s a fast horse, he’s got the pedigree, he’s got everything going for him, he just needs an opportunity.
“If he had have drawn better in the Oakleigh Plate, he may be a Group 1 winner and it’s a different story, but that’s just the way things go.”
“He’s (Oxley Road) a lovely horse, he’s a fast horse, he’s got the pedigree, he’s got everything going for him, he just needs an opportunity.” - Stephen Gray
Player also pointed to young Vinery sire Exceedance, who has been well-supported during his fledgling career at stud, as a boost of confidence for Oxley Road. The progeny of his first crop have averaged $127,315 in 2023 and at this year’s Inglis Premier Yearling Sale he had a colt from the Vinery Stud draft make $350,000.
“Exceedance served a very good crop of mares, and his progeny are going to have a great opportunity on the racetrack,” he said.
“That is a real bonus; it’s very rare to see a mare come out and produce a Group 1 winner with her first foal and then two additional stakes winners. It just shows the depth of the female family that is behind this horse.
“For him to be able to stand at stud and hopefully be well-recieved in the market, as his brother was, is a huge step forward.”
Player is taking expressions of interest from prospective suitors and can be contacted on +61 415 497 787.
