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.
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.
