Stakes double for Exceed And Excel

Exceed And Excel's high-class daughter Curtana proved too good for her rivals when dashing away to win the Listed The Straight Six over 1200m at Flemington on May 19.

Waited off the early speed, Chris Symons produced Curtana with her challenge 300m out and the four-year-old dashed past Stratcombe to win going away by one-and-a-quarter lengths.

"She's a good mare, a really good mare and she certainly deserved to win a race like this." said Jeff O'Connor, racing manager for trainer Peter Moody.

This is the second Stakes win over the course and distance for Curtana, whose sire Exceed And Excel established his credentials with victory in Australia's premier sprint, the Newmarket Handicap, over the same course and distance.

A half-sister to G2 winner Sunburnt Land, Curtana is raced by her breeder David Moodie. Her dam Razor Blade, a Stakes winner herself, has a 2011 colt by Medaglia d'Oro and visted Hard Spun last season.

Not long after Curtana had scored at Flemington her stablemate Kulgrinda landed the Listed Manihi Classic over 1100m at Morphettville. Like Curtana, Kulgrinda is raced by David Moodie's Contract Racing for whom she has won seven of her 15 races, three of them at Stakes level including the 2010 Dermody Stakes in South Australia.

Out of the Stakes performed Bellotto mare River Crossing, a half-sister to G1 winner River Dove, Kulgrinda comes from the family of Commands gelding First Commands, a G2 winner of almost $800,000 in career earnings.

Exceed And Excel is the sire of nine southern hemipshere Stakes winners this season, 47 in total and is firmly entrenched in the top 10 General Sires' list by earnings. The son of Danehill will stand at Darley Kelvinside in 2012 at a fee of $66,000 (inc. GST).