Best On Breeding

Mark Smith - Thursday August 15

The tragedy of the death of Elusive Quality’s Group 1 AJC Sires’ Produce Stakes winner Camarilla after just four foals was felt last year when her only two filly foals produced stakes-winners.

Camarilla’s champion daughter Guelph (Exceed And Excel) is the dam of Eureka Thoroughbreds new recruit Encryption (Lonhro) who won the Group II VRC Danehill Stakes and the Group III CRC Black Opal Stakes.

While Guelph’s half-sister, the More Than Ready (USA) mare Dazzler, could not match the deeds of the 4-time Group 1 winner on the track, she was not without ability winning her first two starts at Geelong and Flemington in an 11-start career.

Advertisement

Dazzler was quick of the mark as a broodmare with her first foal Coruscate (Exceed Abd Excel) a 4-time winner and placed in the Group II ATC Skyline Stakes and Group III ATC Pago Pago Stakes.

Last season Coruscate’s full-brother Bivouac played his part in Exceed And Excel having his best season with his two-year-olds since Magic Millions 2yo Classic winner Le Chef earned him his second juvenile sire’s title in 2014-15.


The James Cummings-trained colt won the Listed Lonhro Plate at Warwick Farm in February before a luckless fourth in the Group II Todman Stakes at Randwick won by Yes Yes Yes (Rubick), which saw him miss a start in the Golden Slipper.

He found a consolation in the Group III Kindergarten Stakes (1100m) at Randwick.

In what may well turn out to be the form race of the season, Bivouac dashed clear at the 250 metres to defeat the strong finishing debutant Libertini (I Am Invincible) by two lengths with the favourite Athiri (Lonhro) a half-neck back in third. Fourth-placed Stronger (Not A Single Doubt) went on to win the Group III Ken Russell Classic at his next start.

Bivouac was done for the season but after a four-month break he makes his 3yo debut in Saturday’s Group III Vain Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

The three-quarter brother to Guelph faces off against a field that includes the Group II BRC Champagne Classic and Group III ATC Breeders' Plate winner Dubious (Not A Single Doubt) who was just in front of Bivouac when third in the Todman Stakes.


Advertisment
More Reading...
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.
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.
One to Watch – Sha Tin – You Don’t See That Every Day!
The Mark Newnham stable has been on fire in Hong Kong since the start of the new season and the former Sydney trainer produced a super promising winner at Sha Tin on Sunday by Capitalist that did everything wrong and miraculously still won the race!
From FNQ To Sha Tin - Aussie Bred Sprinter Wins G2 Premier Bowl
Some horses arrive in Hong Kong with a very different back story - Fresh from winning the $20million The Everest with Ka Ying Rising, David Hayes was back in the winner’s list at Sha Tin on Sunday when Tomodachi Kokoroe won the Group II Premier Bowl (1200m).
Rewarding Weekend for Waikato Stud
A double strike at stakes level, a filly with a black-type future and a welcome family success handed Waikato Stud another rewarding weekend.
Wootton Bassett and Camelot 2YO Colts Win Final French Group Ones
The last French Group I races of their flat season were run on Sunday and Aidan O’Brien produced the winners of both the Group I Criterium International (1600m) and Group I Criterium de Saint Cloud (1800m).
First Winner for King of Comedy
Novara Park Stud stallion King Of Comedy (IRE) is on the board as a sire, with his son Sir Ruby becoming his first winner when victorious over 1300m at Selangor Turf Club in Malaysia on Sunday.
Exceed And Excel's Athelric Rewarded for Consistency
It was a 1-3 for Godolphin in Saturday’s Listed Queensland Day Stakes (1200m) for three-year-olds at Eagle Farm.
Pedigree Potential –NZB Ready to Run – Nicks that Click
A quality packed catalogue for the 2025 NZB Ready to Run Sale (November 12 and 13) is online with breeze up video now in place and in the lead up to the sale we’ll go looking each week for some horses of interest that jump out on pedigree for various reasons.
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.