Darley stallion, Commands sired the winner of the G2 Gilgai Stakes at Flemington on Saturday when his son, El Cambio came out best in a driving finish under Kerrin McEvoy.
Trained by Peter Snowden for Darley, El Cambio has now won four times at Group level, having landed the G2 Royal Sovereign Stakes at Randwick last season as well as picking up a brace of G3s at Doomben and the Gold Coast.
Bred by Woodlands Stud, he is out of the Canny Lad mare Chaparra and a half-brother to three Stakes performers in Cataclysm, Frasassas and Negev. Canny Lad is the broodmare sire of five individual G1 winners including Redoute's Choice.
Earlier on the card, the first juvenile event run in Victoria this season fell to the Exceed And Excel filly, Noesis. Nine met the starter in the Listed Inglis Plate and, breaking smartly, the filly madeall to score impresssively. The race was formally known as the Maribyrnong Trial Stakes, which was won last year by another Exceed And Excel two-year-old, Exceedingly Good.
Noesis was bred by Corumbene Stud and was a $600,000 purchase at the Magic Million Premier Yearling Sale. She is a close relative of the G2-winning filly, Wager.
Exceed And Excel was also responsible for the third in the G1 Champion Stakes at Randwick when his colt, Excelltastic gained his first black-type at his first attempt, finishing just behind Predatory Pricer (Street Cry).
The champion freshman sire of last season has now sired six Stakes winners from his Southern Hemisphere conceived crops with a further six Stakes place-getters. He has also made a good start with his first European runners siring five Stakes horses including the G2 winner Infamous Angel, with only Danehill Dancer siring more juveniles rated 90+ in Europe.
Elusive Quality continues to enjoy a superb season and, on Friday in the US, his son Roi Maudit won the Listed Eillo Stakes at Meadowlands. A Listed winner last season also, he was recording his first win of the year after contesting Stakes races at Monmouth and Gulfstream. Bred by Haras Santa Maria de Araras S. A., he is one of six winners from the Deputy Minister mare Captivant, herself a Stakes performer, and a half-brother to G3 winner, Noisette.
Elusive Quality's juveniles continue to be in tremendous form and on Friday, two gained valuable places in top Group One events. At Newmarket his son Huntdown was third in the Middle Park Stakes and in the US, the filly Devotee ran third in the Alcibiades Stakes.
In Australia on Saturday, Elusive Quality's daughter Viking Turf Belle gained her first black-type at her first attempt when finishing a very close third in the 1410m G2 Blazer Stakes at Flemington.
Bred by Wyllie Group Pty Ltd, she is out of the winning Danehill mare, Danish Moon. Elusive Quality has now sired seven Stakes performers from his Australian conceived crops, four of which have been products of mares by Danehill, including the G1 scorer Camarilla.
