3 minute read

Danehill's son Exceed And Excel could be riding towards his first Australian general sires title on the back of an outstanding season by his exceptional crop of two-year-olds.

Class filly Guelph became Exceed And Excel’s sixth G1 winner and took him to the top of the sires' prizemoney table when she upheld a family tradition in the G1 ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes over 1400m at Randwick on Saturday.

The win came a week after another Exceed And Excel filly Overreach won the G1 Golden Slipper Stakes at Rosehill, a triumph for the stallion as he also sired runner-up Sidestep and fourth placed Guelph.

Darley homebred Guelph turned the Slipper result around in the Sires Produce as she powered to the line in the last 100m to overhaul Scandiva (Fastnet Rock) with Overreach a tiring third.

In winning, Guelph emulated her late dam Camarilla, who won the G1 Sires’ Produce Stakes in 2007.

Guelph is now set to give Exceed And Excel a chance of making it a clean sweep of Sydney’s two-year-old G1 races by lining up in the Champagne Stakes at Randwick on April 27.

[s[Exceed And Excel[/s] continued his fantastic season with two other Group winners in Sydney and Adelaide on Saturday to take his worldwide tally to 69 stakeswinners.

They include 15 in Australia this season including seven stakeswinning two-year-olds.

After Saturday Exceed And Excel (Danehil x Patrona) leads the Australian general sires premiership with progeny earnings of $9,160,946, giving him the lead over Danehill's defending champion Fastnet Rock ($8,561,019).

The top five is made up by Commands ($7,569,242), Lonhro ($7,422,223) and Redoute's Choice ($7,025,704).

Commands and Redoute's Choice are also by Danehill while three of the five stand under the Darley banner (Exceed And Excel, Commands, Lonhro).

it remains feasible that any of the five could win the general premiership this season but Exceed And Excel will easily win the 2YO sires premiership.

Guelph is the second foal of Camarilla (Elusive Quality), who was also a winner of the G3 Blue Diamond Prelude at Caulfield. After winning the Sires Produce Camarilla went on to place in the Champagne Stakes and returned at three to place in G2 company.

Camarilla was out of G1 Queensland Derby winner Camarena, a sister to Watchful, the dam of four-time G1 winner and sire Sepoy (Elusive Quality) and G2 winner Mulaazem.

Camarilla died last spring but left a Street Cry colt foal by Street Cry. She also has a yearling colt by Shamardal.

Exceed And Excel's other Group winners on Saturday were the unbeaten Safeguard in the G3 Kindergarten Stakes at Randwick and Kulgrinda in the G3 RN Irwin Stakes at Morphettvile.

Safeguard (Exceed And Excel x Preserve by Canny Lad) was having only his second start while five-year-old mare Kulgrinda (Exceed And Excel x River Crossing by Bellotto) was already a multiple Listed winner.

Safeguard won impressively on debut at Flemington in December and was set for the Golden Slipper preparation for Guelph's trainer Peter Snowden before a setback in February.

Safeguard is out of the G1-winning two-year-old Preserve, a half-sister to G1 winner and Darley stallion Denman.

Kulgrinda, already a three-time Listed winner prior to Saturday's first Group race success, is from the family of G1 Oakleigh Plate winner River Dove and G2 winner First Command.

River Dove (Hurricane Sky) is the dam of the Fastnet Rock colt sold for $4 million at the Australian Easter Yearling Sale last week.

Kulgrinda is now the winner of nine races and over $500,000 in prizemoney.