Exceedingly good...

The first set of two-year-old Stakes races for the 2012/13 Australian racing season were held last weekend, and Exceed And Excel was unlucky not to end the day as the sire of two winners of the three Listed juvenile events.

The first of the races was the Listed Gimcrack Stakes over 1000m at Royal Randwick and the Peter Snowden-trained Guelph had to overcome the widest barrier in the 11 horse field. Settling back further than what would’ve been wanted; the filly rocketed home to finish second. Out of the G1 AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes-winning Elusive Quality mare Camarilla, Guelph is bred to appreciate a little further, and by the way she rocketed home, this looks well within the grasp of this talented filly.

Fifteen minutes later Exceed And Excel colt Kuroshio produced a strong effort to be up on the speed for the majority of his race to win the Listed Superracing Stakes over 1000m at Flemington. A winner of his only trial leading into the race a few weeks prior, Kuroshio is a full-relation to the G3 Blue Diamond Prelude winner Believe’n’succeed. To watch Kuroshio's race victory, please click here.

The same race that Sepoy won two years prior, Kuroshio’s victory in the Listed event gave his sire the first leg of a global juvenile Stakes double.

Less than 12 hours later in the UK, two-year-old colt Bungle Inthejungle was recording his second Stakes victory, taking out the G3 Cornwallis Stakes, after having previously won the G3 Molecomb Stakes during the Royal Ascot carnival. With three juvenile Stakes winners from his current crop in the UK, Exceed And Excel finds himself sitting in third for the number of two-year-old winners and fourth on prize money.

His Australian results took Exceed And Excel into one of the leading positions on the Two-year-old Sires’ table for the season, and with his current crop of two-year-olds out of 50 Stakes-winning mares, there is clearly plenty to come.

With 48 of his current crop of juveniles already named and only five having raced, the Stakes races which are set to be contested over the Spring carnival are sure to give an early indication of some of the leading runners from his crop.

Based on pedigree, some to watch out for include Sidestep, a half-brother Commands duo – Darley’s first-season sire, the G1-winning Skilled and G2 winner Ambidexter; Ultimate Glory, a half-brother to G1 winner Alverta; Aspen, the first foal of Red Ransom’s G2-winning daughter Portillo; Miniature, a half-sister to up and comer Galah; Safegaurd, out of the G1 winner Preserve – herself a half-sister to Darley stallion Denman and Fare Well, a filly out of the G1 Oakleigh Plate winner River Dove.

The sire of 55 Stakes winners globally, you really take note of his two-year-old sire prowess when 35 of those were two-year-old Stakes winners. 20 in the southern hemisphere alone, highlighted by Darley’s first-season sire and dual G1-winning juvenile Helmet and the G1 Blue Diamond winner Reward For Effort, while from his northern hemisphere books, he has 15 individuals, including G2 winners Best Terms, Infamous Angel and Heavy Metal.

With 70 per cent of his current Stakes winners having won a Stakes race during the two-year-old season of their year, it really highlights the precocity of Exceed And Excel's progeny.

Currently sitting in fifth on the General Sires’ Table in Australia behind fellow Darley stallions Commands, with Lonhro in third, Exceed And Excel is not only proving himself capable with his juveniles, but also with his older stock. Having sired 33 individual winners so far this season, placing him in sixth for the number of winners, Exceed And Excel has the necessary fire power to cement his position as one of the leading sons of Danehill to stand not only locally, but on an international level.

Standing the current season at Darley Kelvinside at a fee of $66,000 (inc. GST), if you wish to find out any further information about Exceed And Excel, please click here to view Darley’s 2012 Online Stallion brochure, or click here to download Darley’s new App, or you can click here to contact the Darley Nomination’s Team about securing a nomination to not only Exceed And Excel, his three-time G1-winning son Helmet, but any of the remainder of Darley’s stallion roster.