Exceed And Excel sired a new Classic winner on Sunday, 7 May when his three-year-old daughter Mawj battled bravely in a thrilling finish to land the G1 1000 Guineas run over eight furlongs at Newmarket.
The Saeed bin Suroor-trained filly was having her first run back in the UK this season following two easy victories at Meydan earlier in the year. Last season she won her maiden on debut by an impressive four and three quarter lengths, she then stepped up into Group company to finish second in the G3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot. This was followed up three weeks later to win the G2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket.
Jumping well from the gates Mawj was soon settled to lead the stands side group, travelling strongly throughout the race under Oisin Murphy she was joined by Tahiyra with two furlongs to run and from there on it was a head-to-head tussle to the line with Mawj gamely holding on in the final strides to prevail by half a length. They were seven and a half lengths clear of third-placed filly, Matilda Picotte.
Owned and bred by Godolphin, Mawj is out of the out of the New Approach mare, Modern Ideals. She is the dam of three other winners including Champion miler Modern Games (Dubawi) who is the winner of four G1 races including last year's G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains.
Last year Exceed And Excel achieved a milestone 200 individual Stakes winners, of those 107 have won at Group level with 18 winning at the highest level. In the sales ring this year, he has had 31 yearlings sell for half-a-million or more with a colt selling at $1.8 million and a filly at $1.1 million.
