By any measure, Exceed And Excel is one of the world’s greatest stallions.
An Australian bred son of Danehill who was offered at public auction in 2002 through Inglis’ historical Newmarket ring, the unnamed yearling colt was secured for $375,000 and little did his connections know they had just unearthed a champion.
A winner on debut, the Rosehill trained juvenile won at G2 level in his third outing. His first G1 success came in the Dubai Cup [now known as the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes] as a three-year-old, 12 days after his official birthday.
With five wins at Stakes level, Exceed and Excel’s final outing before retiring to stud came in March of 2004 in the G1 Newmarket Handicap at Flemington where he defeated a capacity field.
Officially joining the Darley stallion roster that year, the dual-G1 winner, 15 years on, has reverse shuttled to the northern hemisphere 16 times, sired 1,338 winners with earnings of $169 million and sired 156 Stakes winners, a feat which has only been achieved by 16 other stallions.
A milestone result was achieved on Saturday, 23 March at Rosehill when Sidestep, one of Exceed And Excel’s 17 sire sons, sired the 2019 G1 Golden Slipper winner in Kiamichi.
Over the next five days, 450 yearlings by the best families in the Stud Book will parade for an international buying bench at Inglis’ Riverside Stables sales complex for the 2019 edition of the Easter Yearling Sale.
There are 13 sons and daughters by Exceed And Excel from 12 different consignors for what has been referenced a truly international event on the thoroughbred stage.
Two lots of interest are Lot 41 and Lot 421, both bred on the same cross as the 2013 G1 Golden Slipper, Overreach.
Lot 41, consigned by Corumbene Stud this colt is out of the Snippets mare Hasna, herself a four-time Stakes winner. Fascinatingly, owner George Altomonte bred Overreach who secured the accolade for Champion 2YO Filly in Australia in 2012-13.
