With his final crop being yearlings of the current season, Champion Sire Exceed And Excel was represented by his 223 stakes winner when 4yo mare Celerity headed to Morphettville on Monday to win the Listed SAJC Manihi Classic (1100m) for Ciaron Maher and Jamie Melham.
One of just a select few yearlings purchased in 2023 by team Godolphin, along with Saturday’s G3 ATC Aspiration Quality winner Pinito (Trapeze Artist), Celerity was having her sixth start for the Maher yard, and after some consistent form of late start the favourite in her first black type race.
Melham took the mare forward to settle in second position on the outside of equal second favourite Mic Drop (Microphone), with the last start Listed winner Power Beau tracking along in third.
With Will Clarken’s Mic Drop leading the field into the home turn, the 4yo mare produced a short-lived kick as Melham and Celerity took the lead at the 200m mark.
Winning the race by just under a length, Celerity was rewarded for her consistency with her first black type victory, leading home the Will Clarken trained pair of Mic Drop and Thunder Shoc (Vino Rosso) who came from well back for third.
Taking her record to three wins and seven placed efforts from 13 starts with earnings of $223,878, Celerity was a $850,000 purchase for Godolphin Australia Pty Ltd from the Kitchwin Hills draft at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Bred by Phoenix Thoroughbred (11) Ltd, Qld, Celerity is the best of two winners, from two to race out of the G3-winning, G1 placed Testa Rossa mare Ellicazoom, herself a daughter of the G1 Swettenham Stud Stakes winner Ellicorsam.
The current 3yo out of the mare is the unraced 3yo filly Just Magic (I Am Invincible) who won her most recent jumpout for the Tony and Calvin McEvoy stable with her current 2yo, also by I Am Invincible having been passed in at last year’s Magic Millions yearling sale shy of her $200,000 reserve.
Longwood Thoroughbred Farm will offer the I Am Invincible half-sister as Lot 285 at the upcoming at Inglis Easter yearling sale, while the mare foaled a filly by Zoustar in the spring before being covered by Farnan.
Becoming the 223 stakes winner for Darley's Exceed And Excel who passed away in early 2024, the son of Danehill will be represented by three yearlings at this year’s Inglis Easter sale.
With 13 sons of Exceed And Excel currently listed as standing at stud in Australia, his three-time G1 winner son Bivouac will be presented by two lots at Inglis Easter.
