Exceed And Excel may have missed with the $1,200,000 colt Mach Ten in the Breeders’ Plate at Randwick, but he struck shortly after with the Godolphin homebred Zulfiqar in the Listed Darley Maribyrnong Trial Stakes at Flemington.
Ridden by Ben Melham for James Cummings, Zulfiqar looked likely to be run down several times in the straight. He rallied to defeat the $310,000 Exceed And Excel filly Aditi by a neck with one and a quarter lengths back to the sensationally backed Charm Stone, a $1,550,000 daughter of I Am Invincible.
James Cummings revealed Zulfiqar was the first born at Godolphin in 2020:
“Zulfiqar is our number one foal out of the whole crop, and that’s a great advantage because he’s mature and bigger than most of his colleagues back in the barns,” Cummings said.
“He’s got a bit of speed about him, and Ben Melham was able to use that and got him into stride using that inside running rail that’s so advantageous.
“It’s a great credit to all my staff at Crown Lodge who have just nursed this horse along, brought him in prep by prep and have him ready to go even for the Breeders Plate.
“But I did not want to run the horse on a rain-affected track, and there was Flemington with Liam O’Keefe having this track perfect laying in wait for us.
“That’s a great result for our teams, our farms. Exceed And Excel, that’s Stakes winner number one million or something, and he’s run the quinella in the Maribyrnong Trial.”
Zulfiqar is the first live foal of the winning Elusive Quality mare Sayf Shamal (USA). While she carries the USA suffix, Sayf Shamal (USA) is a daughter of the STC Magic Night Stakes winner Alizes (Rory’s Jester).
Coincidently the Breeder’s Plate winner Empire Of Japan is out of another Magic Night winner, Ichihara.
Alizes earned her place in Godolphin folklore as the dam of the magnificent broodmare Essaouira (Exceed and Excel). A three-quarter sister to Zulfiqar, Essaouira is the dam of Group 1 winners Alizee and Astern, and stakes-placed Tassort and Mogador.
Sayf Shamal (USA) has a yearling brother to Zulfiqar and was covered by Microphone last spring.
Zulfiqar is the 203rd stakes-winner for Exceed And Excel.
