Champion Exceed And Excel concludes two-decade reign

Cover image courtesy of Darley

“Brilliant speed” was how racecaller Greg Miles summed up that memorable victory, Exceed And Excel taking on a group of talented older horses - leading them up, kicking clear with 300 metres to go... too classy, too fast.

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Exceed And Excel, leaving an indelible hoofprint on the racing and breeding worlds.

Running his final 600 metres in 33.97s with an overall time of 1:08.72, Exceed And Excel gave nothing else a chance with jockey Corey Brown telling the media that “he was travelling so well throughout and they were not going to beat him whilst he was running those sort of sectionals.”

The Newmarket was the last of Exceed And Excel's victories, coming at his final start in Australia.

Subsequently heading over to the UK, he was strongly fancied in the G1 July Cup at Newmarket but was not at his best after fighting the effects of a virus that saw him miss Royal Ascot.

But what a great overall record the handsome bay boasted - 11 starts, seven wins; all but one of those in Group company.

Watch: Exceed And Excel wins the G1 Newmarket H.

Eye-catching from the get go

Catching trainer Tim Martin's eye in the pre-sale inspections (“I loved him the first time I saw him”), the member of the tenth crop of superstar stallion Danehill (USA) continued to impress at the sales.

As did another well-related colt, a son of Canny Lad's three-quarter sister Canny Miss (Marscay).

Tim was determined to secure one of them, though he just had one small problem - no buyer ready to go!

As he watched Darley secure the Canny Miss colt for $950,000, Tim hoped that the second colt would not be so expensive. He had only ever paid $30,000 for a yearling - he was taking a big risk, but we know all racing people are prone to taking them!

It took $375,000 to secure the next Danehill he liked, the first Australian born foal for the well-related import Patrona (USA) (Lomond {USA}).

It would be a couple of weeks before Tim was able to find owners for the colt, relieved when Nick Moraitis and Alan Osburg agreed after another Danehill colt they'd purchased had failed the post-sale x-rays.

Sustained speed

Named, with a degree of well-placed confidence, Exceed And Excel, he would make his debut in a 2-year-old contest at Canterbury on this day, March 6, 21 years ago.

Martin was confident, the horse showing superior ability from day one. He won that race and would have another three starts at two with a particularly satisfying victory coming in the G2 Todman Slipper Trial.

Not only was it very nice to win a feature juvenile contest with a very promising horse, but it was also pretty good to defeat Untouchable - Canny Miss' son who Tim had also loved at the sales.

Working across to the lead from an outside gate in the G1 Golden Slipper S., Exceed And Excel gave plenty of cheek - still there with 200 metres to go but tiring over the final stages.

It would be as a 3-year-old that he would really make his mark, at his second run back racing away to an easy win in the G2 Up And Coming S.

He was also dominant in the G3 Roman Consul S., a race in which the Golden Slipper winner Polar Success (Success Express {USA}) and third-placed Hasna (Snippets) finished behind him.

A trip to Melbourne followed, Exceed And Excel boarded on a plane; the laidback temperament he inherited from his sire making him a great traveller. He settled in well and two weeks after his Roman Consul win he was taking on the older horses in the G1 Dubai Racing Club Cup.

Straight to the lead for Corey Brown, he put on another display of sustained speed, kicking clear half-way down the straight to win by 1.75l - leaving in his wake a number of Group 1 winners including Reactive (Geiger Counter {USA}), Titanic Jack (Encosta De Lago), Mr Murphy (Danehill {USA}) and Fields Of Omagh (Rubiton).

It was Tim's favourite win - “he was spot on that day. It was his best performance and my best performance as a trainer.”

Not seeing out the mile of the G1 Caulfield Guineas (which he contested on the back of a set back), Exceed And Excel went to the paddock, kicking off his next campaign with a win in the G2 Royal Sovereign S., after which he returned to Melbourne for the Newmarket.

There were plans at the time to venture to Dubai with the idea that Godolphin would take notice and make an offer. As it turned out they already had their eye on the colt who they purchased for a reported $20 million.

Tim Martin has trained a few nice Exceed And Excels, laughing as he said "though not enough of them!

“He has been a great stallion,” he said, “and a horse with a wonderful temperament.

“He could pull a bit in track work but at the stables he was like a kid's pony, he was really good to handle, you could do anything with him.”

Exceed And Excel's trackwork rider Ben Cadden also looks back fondly on his career - “he had a lovely, lovely nature,” he said.

“But as soon as you got the saddle on he knew it was game time. There's the old saying 'let fast horses be fast' and he wasn't really happy unless he was running to his limit... and a lot of his progeny are the same.

“I don't think we really saw the best of him but he has been able to leave the best of himself in the breeding barn.

“It is the end of an era, he has left some legacy - he has been the kindergarten cop, king of the kids the world over!

“Even though it has been 20 years and there have been a lot of good horses after him, Exceed And Excel is still my favourite - he is my number one and he always will be.”

High praise indeed considering the horses Ben has been involved with - Winx (Street Cry {Ire}) coming to mind!

Champion stud career

Upon his return to Australia, Exceed And Excel was retired to stud in 2004 with 99 foals emerging from his debut crop off a fee of $55,000 (inc GST). Eighty-nine of those made it to the track, 76 being winners - eight stakes winners.

It was with his second crop that he would strike Group 1 gold, his son Reward For Effort taking out the 2001 G1 Blue Diamond S.

It has been all up from there, Exceed And Excel (who has more to come - 67 2-year-olds, 53 yearlings, 48 weanlings and last year's book of 56 mares) proving to be an outstanding force both locally and internationally.

Crowned Australian Champion Sire for 2012/2013, he boasts progeny earnings in excess of $270 million - 1804 (70.1 per cent) of his 2571 runners being winners with 215 (8.4 per cent) of those successful at stakes level.

He is the sire of 18 Group 1 winners; in Australia - Reward For Effort, Guelph, Bivouac, Flamberge, Helmet, September Run, Microphone, Earthquake, Overreach, Exceedance and Amber Sky... and overseas - Mr Stunning, Excelebration (Ire), Mawj (Ire), Queen Supreme (Ire), Outstrip (GB), Mischief Magic (Ire) and Margot Did (Ire).

Gallery: Some of the Group 1 winners sired by Exceed And Excel

Alastair Pulford, Darley Australia’s head of stallions is understandably full of praise for one of the stud's most successful stallions.

“I can't can’t overstate how great an influence he has been on this stud and the entire Australian racing and breeding scene,” he said.

“As a very fast son of Danehill, who at that stage was highly recognised as an elite sire of sires, he was extremely popular from the word go... an amazing horse from day dot.

“He became the leading sire of 2-year-olds, but it wasn’t only 2-year-olds - he ended up being a great sire of horses of all ages.”

Also crowned Hong Kong's Champion Sire on three occasions, Exceed And Excel was the first stallion anywhere in the world to reach the milestone of 500 juvenile winners. He is the only Australian-bred stallion to sire over 200 stakes winners... his name on that honor roll alongside Danehill, Galileo (Ire), Sadler's Wells (USA), More Than Ready (USA), Deep Impact (Jpn) and Dubawi (Ire).

Shuttled on 16 consecutive occasions, he is the broodmare sire of 1333 winners (62.0 per cent) and 101 (4.7 per cent) stakes winners including 14 Group 1 winners. Fifteen of his sons have sired stakes winners including seven represented by Group 1 winners... and over a variety of distances including a G1 Melbourne Cup success for Outstrip's son Gold Trip (Fr) and two G1 Dubai World Cup wins for Helmet's son Thunder Snow (Ire).

He still has a nice variety of sons at stud including Bivouac, Exceedance, Headwater and Microphone. And the Australian Stud Book currently lists 360 daughters.

“Exceed And Excel celebrates a two-decade breeding career of influence,” Alastair Pulford said, "by retiring sound and on his own terms. He has and will continue to leave an indelible hoofprint on the racing and breeding worlds.”