Persistence, strength and the abiding influence of world champion juvenile sire Exceed And Excel have carried Zethus to victory in Saturday’s G3 Canonbury Stakes at Rosehill.
Having only his second start and seemingly well-beaten at the 200m, Zethus rallied bravely over the concluding stages to grab the leader Home Affairs in the final stride.
Zethus had finished second at his only previous start and despite not being totally at home on the soft going at Rosehill he produced an effort that suggested he will be even better suited over more ground.
The colt is out of the three-time winner Melpomene, who was raced by Sheikh Mohammed, and is a brother to the G2 winner Calliope.
He becomes Exceed And Excel’s 181st Stakes winner and is one of more than 500 juvenile winners sired by the former champion sprinter.
Exceed And Excel stood his most recent southern hemisphere season in 2020 at Kelvinside, NSW.
