Exceed And Excel’s two-year-old daughter Calliope recorded her second Stakes victory 12 March, overcoming a tardy start to brilliantly win the G2 Magic Night Stakes at Rosehill and confirm her position as a leading G1 Golden Slipper contender.
A debut winner of the Listed Gimcrack Stakes on debut last October, Calliope looked a strong chance to score her second Stakes victory in the G2 Reisling Stakes seven days earlier only to be scratched prior to the start due to a barrier mishap.
The barriers proved to be a challenge once again for Calliope, stepping slowly from her inside draw. However, jockey James McDonald was able to save ground up the inside through the middle stages before bringing the filly to the centre of the track on straightening where she was able to finish far too powerfully for her rivals.
Bred by Darley, Calliope is a daughter of the Stakes-placed Elusive Quality mare Melpomene whose only other foal to race is G3-placed Medaglia d’Oro filly Thalia. Melpomene’s dam Bulla Borghese was a winner of the G1 VRC Oaks.
Exceed And Excel is the sire of 110 Stakes winners, among them 10 G1 winners including four-time G1 winner Guelph and star colts Helmet and Excelebration who both scored three victories at the highest level.
