World's greatest sire of juvenile winners Exceed and Excel is home to stay.
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As Exceed And Excel celebrates another outstanding year to begin his 16th breeding season at 'Kelvinside' near Aberdeen his owners Darley stud have decided to reside the sire permanently in the Australia.
The stallion is returning to join the Australian Darley stallions roster for 2020, after completing 15 duties as a reverse shuttle stallion from his northern hemisphere home in Ireland at Kildangan.
On the track over the past year Exceed And Excel's offspring did what they are bred to do, adding five G1 wins to their sire's tally.
In Australia, two of those top victories were provided by Bivouac who put his name alongside that of his sire by producing a dominant win in the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington, having earlier taken the GoldenRose.
Bivouac is a member of Exceed And Excel's 2016 crop which also includes the G1 winners Microphone and Exceedance and the G2 winner Standout, all successful in a season that produced 12 individual Stakes winners in Australia with another three during the corresponding period in the UK, Europe and South Africa.
Success on the racetrack flowed into the yearling sales whereExceed And Excel produced one of his best seasons with three million dollar colts, the top priced a colt coming from the G1 winning mare Platelet and selling for $1.8 million.
On a global level, Exceed And Excel enhanced his standing as the world's leading is of two year olds in 2020, his total passing 500 individual winners.
Exceed And Excel's success has been recognised by breeders who have supplied him with a full book of mares for the coming season that includes Vegas Showgirl dam of the world champion mare Winx, whose 2017 filly Covent Garden has shown great promise.
The 2020 book also includes the G1 winner Dixie Blossoms and Bivouac's dam Dazzler.
For Darley stallions in Australia, the permanent return of Exceed And Excel to his home at 'Kelvinside' has been welcomed.
"Exceed And Excel has become the flag bearer for Australian dual hemisphere stallions," said Godolphin Managing Director Vin Cox.
"He's proven himself in Europe with horses like Excelebration, who chased Frankel home so many times and won three G1 races himself, another son, Outstrip won a G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf in America and in Australia he's produced horses like Guelph, Helmet, Earthquake and Mr Stunning who's won HK$60million in Hong Kong."
Darley's Head of Sales in Australia, Alastair Pulford describes Exceed And Excel as one of the most reliable stallions available.
"He's such a good stallion because he gets the winners of the big races year after year," he said.
"After 16 years at stud he had a winners to runners ratio of beet than 70 per cent and he's clearly the best sire of juveniles anywhere in the world. It sets him apart from the rest.
"I think the team in Ireland would have liked to have him back for another season but we're looking forward very much to having him home now and looking after him."