Exceed And Excel's Athelric Rewarded for Consistency

Mark Smith - Saturday June 4

It was a 1-3 for Godolphin in Saturday’s Listed Queensland Day Stakes (1200m) for three-year-olds at Eagle Farm.

With Hugh Bowman in the saddle, the Exceed And Excel gelding Athelric made it four wins in a row when defeating the Territories (IRE) gelding Arentee by a long-head with the favoured Frosted (USA) colt Ingratiating one and a half lengths further back in third.

“Great credit to Athelric. He put himself into the race over the 1200 metres considering the work he did early,” winning trainer James Cummings said.

“The other colt (Ingratiating) ran beautifully. He made up a lot of ground in the straight. We have been thinking that maybe he is looking for seven (furlongs). If that is the case, it certainly opens up many opportunities for him. Having so many weeks off between runs, to finish off so strongly and run third was full of merit.”

“Both of our three-year-olds in this race have been flying, and just the way the race shaped up it advantaged Athelric. He used that gate speed and used that early tactical pace.

“He’s a very progressive three-year-old since we gelded him.

“Not many horses can win three-straight in Sydney, and it takes a stakes horse to do that. We identified this race as one that would suit him, and he’s delivered. He’s got up and run a solid six furlongs.

Advertisement

“I will keep my options open with Athelric. Maybe I’ll freshen him up and run him one more time over 1100 metres. But he’s going to be a beautiful four-year-old sprinter. Four-in-a-row is pretty special and culminates in a stakes race this prep.

“Ingratiating is in the noms for the Stradbroke. If he was to back up as he has before in the Blue Diamond into the Golden Slipper, he will run a big race in the Stradbroke next week with 51.5 kilos on his back.”

Exceed And Excel

Athelric is the only winner from three to race out of the winning Lonhro mare Ida.

On behalf of Jonathon Munz, Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock (BAFNZ) purchased Ida for $200,000 at the 2021 National broodmare Sale.

 A sister to the Group II Tulloch Stakes winner Old North out of Vengeance Of Rain and Dizelle’s dual stakes-winning half-sister Bernicia, Ida was carrying a colt by Sidestep and was covered by King’s Legacy last spring.

Athelric is the 195th stakes-winner for Darley Stud’s evergreen Exceed And Excel.

Advertisment

Race Result - Nova 106.9 Queensland Day Stks LR 1200m

Eagle Farm Track: Good(4) Time: 1:10.76
1
Athelric
- 3g Exceed And Excel (AUS) x Ida (AUS) (Lonhro (AUS))
Tnr: James Cummings Rdr: J Bowman 57
2
0.2
Arentee
- 3g Territories (IRE) x Autumn (NZ) (O'Reilly (NZ))
Tnr: Chris Meagher Rdr: K Mc Evoy 57
3
1.7
Ingratiating
- 3c Frosted (USA) x Obsequious (AUS) (Lonhro (AUS))
Tnr: James Cummings Rdr: N Rawiller 57
4
2.7
Rhapsody Rose
- 3f Star Witness (AUS) x Ritzy (AUS) (Medaglia D'Oro (USA))
Tnr: Chris Munce Rdr: Luke Tarrant 55
5
2.9
Hamlet Von Snitzel
- 3g Snitzel (AUS) x Shakespearean Lass (AUS) (Written Tycoon (AUS))
Tnr: R L Heathcote Rdr: Jaden Lloyd 57
6
3.3
Stellar Magic
- 3f Star Turn (AUS) x Al's Magic Miss (AUS) (Magic Albert (AUS))
Tnr: S O'Dea & M Hoysted Rdr: Ben Thompson 55
7
3.4
Putontheredlight
- 3f Star Witness (AUS) x Rare Ruby (AUS) (Elusive Quality (USA))
Tnr: T J Gollan Rdr: W Pike 55
8
3.5
Release The Beans
- 3g Spill The Beans (AUS) x Career (AUS) (New Approach (IRE))
Tnr: R L Heathcote Rdr: Tim Clark 57
9
3.7
Nord Lyon
- 3g Better Than Ready (AUS) x Miss Le Nord (AUS) (Northern Meteor (AUS))
Tnr: Chris Anderson Rdr: Kyle Wilson-Taylor 57
10
8.7
Devastating
- 3g Exceed And Excel (AUS) x Testa Secret (AUS) (Testa Rossa (AUS))
Tnr: T J Gollan Rdr: Ryan Maloney 57
11
8.8
Joyous Legend
- 3f Snitzel (AUS) x More Joyous (NZ) (More Than Ready (USA))
Tnr: T J Gollan Rdr: Ms S Thornton 55
12
70.5
Zavaboom
- 3g Spirit Of Boom (AUS) x Zavaroni (AUS) (Rothesay (AUS))
Tnr: T J Gollan Rdr: J B Mc Donald 57
More Reading...
$1.8 Million Exceed and Excel Colt from G1 Winner Platelet
A protracted bidding duel marked the sale of Lot 640, a powerhouse colt by Exceed and Excel from dual Group I winning sprinter Platelet with Hawkes Racing prevailing over a persistent Coolmore.
15th G1 Winner for Exceed and Excel
Turning 20 this year, Darley’s champion sire Exceed and Excel has just finished a super successful Magic Millions Sale that saw him with 24 yearlings average $398,542 to be the third leading sire by average and in South Africa on Saturday he posted a 15th Group I winner.
Newhaven Park Confirm 2025 Fees
One week after Newhaven Park bred, raised and sold Cool Archie recorded his second successive juvenile stakes race victory in the Group 2 Spirit of Boom Classic at Doomben, Newhaven Park stud principal John Kelly has confirmed the 2025 service fees for the first-crop 2-year-old’s sire Cool Aza Beel (NZ), as well as the farm’s two associate stallions Xtravagant (NZ) and Mo’Unga&nb
Juvenile Trial Watch - Rosehill
Trials this morning at Rosehill were run on a heavy 9 so horses were well held together and not asked for too much, but there were still a couple of intriguing unraced heat winners by Extreme Choice and Justify (USA), plus we got another look at the $1.4million Wootton Bassett (GB) colt from Sunlight.
Verry Exciting Weekend Looms
New Zealand horseman Nicholas Bishara will cross the Tasman this weekend to watch his filly Belle Detelle, a three-quarter sister to his ill-fated 11-time Group One Verry Elleegant, contest the Gr.1 Queensland Derby (2400m).
Exceed and Excel Colts Surge Late
The session topper for the first day of Magic Millions on Wednesday arrived late in proceedings with an Exceed and Excel colt from intriguing Frankel mare Dream in Colour (GB) selling for $1.1million to the bid of Coolmore’s Tom Magnier.
Expensive Ghaiyyath Colt Wins Stakes
Darley shuttler Ghaiyyath (IRE) had his first Australian winner earlier this week and overnight produced a new stakes-winner in the UK where Godolphin owned colt Opera Ballo won the Listed Heron Stakes (1m)at Sandown.
A New Benchmark for Edinburgh Stud
An emotional Ian Smith watched on as bidding reached $1 million for Edinburgh Stud’s stunning Exceed And Excel colt out of the Smoke Glacken mare Smokin’ Alice (USA) to set a new benchmark for the stud.
Breeding To Win - 2025 G1 Queensland Derby
It’s been 15 years since Dariana thumped the colts to win the Queensland Derby (2400m) in 2010 and maybe it’s time for another filly to triumph!
Best On Breeding
Placed behind subsequent Melbourne Cup heroine Empire Rose in the New Zealand Oaks, Eau D'Etoile (Sir Tristram) became that rarest of broodmares with three Group 1 winners and a Listed stakes-winner to her credit on the way to earning Broodmare Of The Year status and that should have been her crowning achievement.