Quest For Fame colt Sea Battle won his first Stakes race on Saturday when victorious in the Listed Winter Championship at Flemington.
The winner of his two previous starts for trainer Mark Kavanagh, he was ridden closer to the pace this time to score gamely. This was his sixth win in total and he will now be spelled before contesting better races in the spring.
Bred by Northern Lodge Stud, he is out of the Danehill mare Peppie and is a full-brother to Stakes-placed colt Poulter and from the family of G1 scorers Gold Ace and Final Card.
Earlier on the Flemington card, champion first-season sire elect Exceed And Excel recorded yet another winner when Excelltastic won the two-year-old Handicap.
Bred by Darley Australia, he is out of the placed Lear Fan mare Fantail and a close relation to US G1 winner Dreams Gallore. He is the first winner for the mare, who also has a yearling by Elusive Quality and a foal by Dubawi.
This was Exceed And Excel’s fourteenth winner from his first crop and he is romping away with the first-season sires' title. He has also made a tremendous start in Europe with Listed winner Flashman Papers and G2 runner-up Spin Cycle performing admirably at Royal Ascot.
