After impressing when winning at Kembla Grange at his career debut on June 27, the Richard and Michael Freedman-trained Excellent Proposal kept his record at a perfect two for two when a fast-finishing winner of Saturday's 2yo handicap over 1400 metres at Randwick.
Settled back midfield, three wide with cover, by Brenton Avdulla, Excellent Proposal still had plenty to do 300 metres out as the front-runner Pixel Perfect was travelling strongly for Kathy O'Hara.
But the strapping son of Exceed And Excel knuckled down to his task to defeat the Snitzel filly Pixel Perfect by a head with three-quarters of a length back to the Your Song colt Frosty Rocks in third. (image Steve Hart )
Brenton Avdulla said the plan to lead went out of the door when Excellent Proposal took a step back at the start.
"It put me worse than midfield so I had to sum the situation up and I ended up getting a nice trail, three wide with cover, off a soft speed and I had my main danger (Mandela) two horses back inside me.
"When I got stuck into him he kept responding, which he has done in every trial and in his race and to his credit he knuckled down late."
Co-trainer
Michael Freedman said the chestnut needs a bit of time to mature.
"We will see how he pulls up we might give him a bit of a let up and give him a crack at some of the better races in the spring," Freedman said
"He's very raw and still maturing so he might be one that is better placed in the autumn, we will wait and see."
Purchased by bloodstock agent Bill Mitchell for $200,000 out of the Fernrigg Farm draft at the 2018 MM Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Excellent Proposal (pictured as a yearling ) has an interesting international pedigree.
His dam Procrastination (GB), a Listed stakes placegetter in France, is a daughter of the excellent stallion Pivotal however it is an all Aussie pedigree further back.
Procrastination's dam is the top-class Dilly Dally (Rubiton), a sister to stakes-winner Linga Longa Lucy and a half-sister to Group III winner and Group 1-placed Li Lo Lill (Umatilla). Dilly Dally was a star performer for Leon Macdonald, winning six races including the then Group II AJC TJ Smith Stakes and the Group II MVRC Champagne Stakes and placed in the Group 1 Manikato Stakes.
A sister to stakes-winner Purchased by Darley, Dilly Dally was sent to Europe in 2005 before returning to Australia in 2012. She had three winning foals in Europe and Procrastination was the best of them. She had a further five foals in Australia before being pensioned back in February this year.
Her final foal is a weanling colt by Animal Kingdom (USA).
Procrastination (GB) arrived from Europe in 2013 carrying a foal by Invincible Spirit, which was named Denials and is a 26-start maiden. She has an unraced 3yo Medaglia D'Oro (USA) colt named Defer.
Tragically, Procrastination (GB) died in December 2017 shortly after foaling a Vancouver colt.
