What has been a truly impressive year for Exceed And Excel is set to end in fine style after the young sire was responsible for two juvenile Stakes winners in a day courtesy of Exceedingly French in Australia and Flashmans Papers in the US.
Exceedingly French extended her unbeaten run to two and stepped up in distance and class to record her first black type victory in the Listed St Albans Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley. Trained by Lee Freedman, the filly, who made her winning debut on 15 December at Sale over 1000m, led home Musigny, a daughter of Reset who won on her last start, by half a length.
Exceedingly French is out of the Irish-bred Sadler’s Wells mare Paris In The Fall, herself a winner over 2600m in her native country as a three-year-old and very closely related to the Irish and French Derby winner Old Vic, who is also by Sadler's Wells and is a half-brother to her dam, Turban.
Reset, who is also sire of Victoria Derby winner Rebel Raider, and Exceed And Excel currently occupy the top two slots in the Australian second-crop sires’ table with Lonhro, who has had a rash of winners throughout December, in third.
At Santa Anita, the former British-trained Royal Ascot winner Flashmans Papers claimed his second Stakes success when running out the winner of the Listed Eddie Logan Stakes. Exceed And Excel was also represented by two further two-year-old winners in Europe over the weekend, taking the tally from his first European crop to 23. The James-Lombard-bred Hellbender won by two lengths on the fibresand at Southwell on Saturday, while in Germany the following day, Super Flight, a graduate of Genesis Green Stud, obliged in the 1800m maiden at Dortmund.
