Stakes Double for Exceed and Excel

Tara Madgwick - Sunday February 5

Darley’s champion sire Exceed and Excel had a two hemisphere stakes double on Saturday with talented two year-old Zulfiqar winning the Group III MRC Chairman’s Stakes at Sandown, while in the UK progressive mare Manaafith landed her first Black Type win in the Listed Tandridge Stakes (1m) at Lingfield.

A Shadwell homebred trained by Roger Varian, Manaafith powered clear to win by a length and three-quarters taking her overall record to six wins from eight starts.

Advertisement

Manaafith had a wind operation earlier in her career, but is now in great form reeling off three successive wins in December, January and now February.

She is the best of two winners from winning Dubawi mare Almashooqa, whose dam is a half-sister to US Group I winner Summer Colony.

Exceed and Excel

Manaafith is the 206th stakes-winner worldwide for Exceed and Excel, who will turn 23 this year.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Group 1 Queensland Oaks For So You Think's You Wahng
With form around some of the best 3yo staying fillies in the country, the Kris Lees trained You Wahng was too strong, winning the $700,000 Group 1 BRC Queensland Oaks (2200m) at Eagle Farm.
North Pacific 2YO Ready to Win
Byerley Park trainer Steven Cole will head to Ellerslie with a quartet of runners on Saturday, and he is particularly upbeat about the chances of Pacific Breeze in the Network Visuals 1200.
Third Group 1 Victory For Zoustar’s Sensational Joliestar
Cambridge Stud's outstanding Zoustar mare Joliestar was simply sensational, charging late to win the $1m BRC Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm, her third Group 1 victory.
First Group Victory For $3.5m Earner Front Page
Having raced at Flemington, Rosehill and Ascot at his last three starts, the Matthew Dale trained Front Page travelled to his fourth different state in as many starts, winning the $300,000 G2 BRC Moreton Cup at Eagle Farm.
Another Day, Another Stakes-Winner for Wootton Bassett
A homebred for Marc Chan, quality Wootton Bassett (GB) colt Green Impact closed out his juvenile season winning the Group II Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown and he bounced back into the winner’s list at the same venue overnight.
€1.85million Sale-Topping Frankel Filly Wins Epsom Oaks for Coolmore
The Group I Epsom Oaks (1m4f) had a raging hot favourite in undefeated Godolphin entry Desert Flower, but she came up short in her first try at the classic trip going down to finish third behind the Aidan O’Brien trained duo Minnie Hauk (Frankel and Whirl (Wootton Bassett).
Breeding To Win - 2025 G1 Queensland Oaks
Unbeaten this preparation, Philia will be looking to emulate her half-sister Duais in winning the $1million Group I BRC Queensland Oaks (2200m) on Saturday, but a swarm of up and comers are nipping at her heels, so who are they?
Kicked out of Australia - Jan Brueghel Wins G1 Coronation
The horse kicked out of Australia last spring as not having suitable scans to race in the Melbourne Cup, Jan Brueghel showed just what we missed out on seeing when taking out the Group I Betfred Coronation Cup (1m4f) at Epsom overnight.
SWs in foal to Wootton Bassett and Snitzel headline the June (Early) Online Sale
Stakes winners in foal to Wootton Bassett and Snitzel, along with a significant number of young, well-bred racing and breeding prospects headline another intriguing catalogue for the Inglis Digital June (Early) Online Sale.
Hellbent's Sunrays Shines With Consecutive Stakes Wins
Saturday’s opening race at Eagle Farm, the Listed $160,000 BRC Show A Heart Stakes (1500m) saw Kelly Schweida’s talented Hellbent filly Sunrays record her second black type victory.