Having achieved his 21st individual Stakes winner world-wide last weekend when Hooness was successful in the Listed Redelva Stakes, it is well worth noting the outstanding results Darley's young G1-winning Danehill stallion Exceed And Excel has achieved to date.
With his eldest crop just four-year-olds, Exceed And Excel’s current winner to runner strike rate is higher than many of the current leading sires, including last season’s Champion Australian sire Encosta de Lago. Sitting in 20th position on the overall sires' table based on individual winners, it is an achievement currently bettered only by fellow third-season sire Lonhro, who holds a slim five-win margin over him.
Drawing a parallel with fellow Darley stallion and son of Danehill, Commands, it is worth mentioning that at the completion of their second-crop of runners, Commands held down 36th position on the general sires’ table, in comparison to Exceed And Excel’s 22nd ranking. The following season Commands' position had skyrocketed to 7th, and he has remained a top-ten sire ever since; an achievement Exceed And Excel (pictured) is well on track to emulate.
At the same stage of their careers, Exceed And Excel’s tally of 13 individual southern hemisphere Stakes winners is significantly superior to that of Commands’ six. With the rich Sydney Autumn carnival still ahead of us this year, the Champion first and second-crop sire of his year still has plenty of opportunity to make further inroads on the general sires’ table and further enhance his reputation as one of Australia’s leading young sires.
As we head into the Inglis Premier yearling sale this coming Monday, followed by the Inglis Easter yearling sale a little over a month from now, the yearlings on offer by Exceed And Excel will be the cream of his current yearling-crop both on type and pedigree. Outstanding individuals like the half-brother to Champion filly Alinghi; from the family of G1 Blue Diamond runner-up Beneteau, are sure to be highly regarded.
With a continual offering of quality well-bred yearlings set to grace the sales rings over the next few years, the progeny of Exceed And Excel are sure to be in much demand. Current foals on the ground include those out of G1-winning mares Allow, Champagne, Hasna and Virage De Fortune to name but a few, while the mares covered in the his most recent season include the likes of Calaway Gal, Grand Archway, Lashed, Lovelorn, Preserve, Rinky Dink and Zacheline - all G1 winners.
