Champion stallion Exceed And Excel retired from stud duties

One of Australia’s greatest stallions has been retired from stud duties, fittingly in the week of the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap.

Exceed And Excel, who was Australia’s champion sire for the 2012-13 season, has been retired. Picture: Darley

Former champion Australian stallion Exceed And Excel has covered his last mare.

Darley made the announcement, four days shy of the 20th anniversary of his biggest success in the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap.

The Tim Martin-trained galloper also won the Group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes and he was retired a seven-time winner from 11 starts.

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During his 20-year career as a stallion the son of Danehill became the “only Australian-bred sire to achieve 200 stakes winners, joining all-time greats Danehill, Galileo, Sadler’s Wells, More Than Ready, Deep Impact, and Dubawi”.

He also holds the honour of becoming the first sire to reach 500 juvenile winners worldwide.

Exceed And Excel wins the 2004 Newmarket Handicap at Flemington. Picture: Craig Hughes

“I can’t overstate how great an influence he’s been on this stud and the entire Australian racing and breeding scene,” Alastair Pulford, Darley Australia’s head of stallions said.

“As a very fast son of Danehill, who at that stage was highly recognised as an elite sire of sires, he was extremely popular from the word go.

“He became the leading sire of two-year-olds, but it wasn’t only two-year-olds, he ended up being a great sire of horses of all ages.

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“He was just an amazing horse from day dot, and I have every confidence his sons at stud will do the same.”

He sired 16 individual Group 1 winners headlined by the likes of Guelph, Bivouac, Helmet and Flamberge and his progeny earnings totalled more than $270m from more than 1800 winners and 215 stakes winners.

During the latter part of his stallion career, Exceed And Excel stood for $132,000 (inc. GST).

Originally published as Champion stallion Exceed And Excel retired from stud duties