7 April 2021

Exceed And Excel and Lonhro again set the Darley standard

Long-serving pair in strong demand at Inglis Easter Sale

Lot 389: Lonhro x Lilliburlero

Darley’s ever-reliable duo of Lonhro and Exceed And Excel showed the way yet again on day two of the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in Sydney, both making their mark with fillies who sold for $500,000 or more.

The winner in the day’s personal duel between the two was Lonhro whose filly (Lot 389) from the proven producer Lilliburlero made $550,000 bid by the UK combination of Badgers Bloodstock and Glentree Thoroughbreds.

A G3 winner in her own right, Lilliburlero is a daughter of Regimental Gal, the champion 3YO filly in Australia in 2003-04 whose seven wins included the G1 Lightning Stakes and G1 Australia Stakes.

Exceed And Excel came in just behind his fellow Kelvinside resident, his filly from Heart Ashley making $500,000 (Lot 332).

The filly offered by Kia Ora Stud is from a multi-national family of Stakes winners and went to a similarly diverse buying combination of the local trainers Richard and Michael Freedman and the China Horse Club.

Heart Ashley was a six-time winner in the United States, her victories including the G3 Cicada Stakes at Aqueduct and the G3 Miss Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. Among her offspring is the multiple Japanese Stakes winner Fiano Romano and the locally-raced Ameristralia.

For Exceed And Excel it continued a typically strong showing, following on from two seven-figure sales and one of $900,000 on day one.

Lot 335: Impending x Hell It's Hot

Darley’s head of sales Andy Makiv welcomed the continuing interest in Lonhro and Exceed And Excel who is about to begin his 17th season at stud.

“The Darley stallions have been very well-received from the Magic Millions sale in January through until Easter,” Makiv said. “It’s been a fantastic season with Impending coming onto the scene and doing very well along with Frosted with his first crop, and they’ve had Exceed And Excel and Lonhro there to back them up.”

Exceed And Excel’s top-priced lot came into the ring in the first minutes of the sale, the colt from the Bernardini mare Peace Force making $2.1 million (Lot 5).

He was followed soon after by Lot 63, a colt from the Lonhro mare Sanity who made $1.5 million and his filly from Telaawa, another Lonhro mare, who sold for $900,000.

The market interest in Impending that emerged so strongly at last month’s Melbourne Premier Sale continued with his colt from the Zeditave mare Hell It’s Hot, the dam of G1 winner In Her Time, making $240,000 (Lot 335) and going to the training team of John, Michael and Wayne Hawkes.

And it continued deep into the sale with Lot 420 a colt by Astern from Mignard making $200,000.

The colt is a half-brother to the three-time G1 winner Le Romain and traces to the G1 Caulfield Guineas and U.A.E. winner Long John.