Exceed and Excel Strikes Early at Breeders’ Cup

Tara Madgwick - Saturday November 5

The Breeders’ Cup meeting is underway in Kentucky and Darley’s champion sire Exceed and Excel showed his quality to produce the first Group I winner of the program when Godolphin homebred two year-old Mischief Magic scored a dazzling last to first win in the Group I Breeders Cup Turf Juvenile Sprint (5 ½ f).

Trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by William Buick, Mischief Magic settled at the rear and unleashed a brilliant burst of speed to weave through the field and win by more than a length.

Already a Group III winner this year, Mischief Magic was a last start fourth in the Group I Middle Park Stakes and has now won four races from six starts.

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.

Advertisement

Mischief Magic is the 17th Group I winner for Exceed and Excel.

The Exceed and Excel x Elusive Quality nick has been hugely successful producing 50 winners from 58 starters for 86%  winners to runner. There have been 11 stakes-winners bred this way headed by four time Australian Group I winning filly Guelph with the SW to runner strike rate at 18.9%.

Just turned 22, Exceed and Excel was in the news earlier this week as the grand-sire of Melbourne Cup winner Gold Trip, who is by his Group I winning son Outstrip, who also won a Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Canterbury Belle Kickstarts NZB Southern Filly Series
A week after the NZB Filly of the Year Series roared to life with the Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) in the North Island, the spotlight shifts south with the launch of the prestigious NZB Southern Filly of the Year Series.
Lovatsville and ATA Strengthen Ties
Fledgling Victorian stallion farm Lovatsville have continued their strategic partnership with the Australian Trainer’s Association (ATA) in an initiative that is designed to support trainers through a series of stallion nominations aligned to upcoming races in regional Victoria this Spring.
Breeding To Win: 2025 G2 The Run to the Rose
High stakes racing at Rosehill, as a big field of class colts - and a lone filly - tackle the $300,000 The Run To The Rose!
New G2 Winner for St Marks Basilica
Coolmore shuttler St Mark’s Basilica (Fr) has had a flurry of promising winners in recent weeks and among then is talented filly Aylin, who claimed her first Black Type win overnight when taking out the Group II May Hill Stakes (1m) at Doncaster.
Te Akau Fillies Resume Rivalry
There’s a burgeoning rivalry brewing between Te Akau Racing fillies Belle Du Monde and Cool Aza Rene, and that will continue at Riccarton Park on Saturday in the Listed NZB Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m).
GI Next for Wootton Bassett Colt
A son of Coolmore shuttler Wootton Bassett (GB), progressive two year-old colt Nighttime made it three wins in a row when stepping up in class to win the Group III Prix la Rochette (1400m) at Longchamp overnight.
One to Watch – Seymour
A lookalike for his sire Star Turn, this Ciaron Maher trained colt made a winning debut at Seymour on Thursday as a hot favourite.
My How Time Flies!
At the recent stallion parades in Victoria one of the sires that really jumped out on type was Lovatsville based Fierce Impact (Jpn), a triple Group I winner in Australia that was seen at his very best winning the Group I VRC Makybe Diva Stakes in 2020.
Caulfield Guineas and Thousand Guineas Nominations
Bluebloods, boom youngsters and fairytales are among G1 Caulfield Guineas and G1 Thousand Guineas nominations with 119 colts and geldings, plus 106 fillies vying for victory in these iconic spring three year-old features.   
Cream of first crop a cornerstone for Aysar
Entries close today for the 2026 Perth Magic Millions Yearling Sale and among the highlights will be the cream of the first crop by Geisel Park sire Aysar.