The Shadwell operation has been enjoying tremendous success this year with flag bearer Baaeed and their colours were carried to victory overnight in the Group I Haydock Sprint Cup (6f) by a horse they purchased as a yearling.
Trained by Owen Burrows four year-old stallion Minzaal became the third Group I winner for his sire Mehmas when scoring a commanding three and three-quarter length win in the prestigious sprint run on a good track.
A talented sprinter that had been Group I placed at two and three, Minzaal was over due to break through at the elite level.
“Minzaal deserved it. He'd been knocking on the door at two and had an interrupted year last year. Through no fault of his own he injured himself in the box, and managed to get Group 1 placed at the backend at Ascot,” said Owen Burrows.
“He ran a big race in France last time and was in better form coming into this and it was a big performance. He's a pleasure to deal with. The plan would be to go to Ascot all being well.”
A 140,000 guinea purchase for Shadwell from the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 2, Minzaal is the best of two winners from unraced Clodovil mare Pardoven, a grand-daughter of Group III winner Aim for the Top.
A Group II winning son of Acclamation, Mehmas has enjoyed a meteoric rise at Tally Ho Stud starting off at a fee of €7,500 and in 2022 he stood at €50,000.
Having not long passed the milestone of 200 stakes-winners, Darley’s champion sire Exceed and Excel delivered a 201st with talented two year-old colt Mischief Magic winning the Group III Sirenia Stakes (6f) at Kempton.
A Godolphin homebred trained by Charlie Appleby, he scored a comfortable two length win and has the tidy record three wins and a placing from four starts. He holds an entry for the Group I Middle Park Stakes.
Mischief Magic is a full brother to Group III winner Sound and Silence and is the second stakes-winner among six winners from Veil of Silence, an unraced half-sister by Elusive Quality to Group I winner Ibn Khaldun from Group I winner Gossamer.
The Exceed and Excel x Elusive Quality nick has been hugely successful producing 48 winners from 56 starters for nearly 86% winners to runner. There have been 10 stakes-winners bred this way headed by four time Australian Group I winning filly Guelph with the SW to runner strike rate at 17.8%.
Just turned 22, Exceed and Excel looked to be in great health at the recent Darley stallion parades and stands at a fee of $132,000.
