If your attention was focused on Black Caviar Lightning Stakes day at Flemington on February 15, chances are you missed an exception carer debut by a two-year-old filly at Bendigo.
The David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig-trained Minhaaj was backed as if unbeatable in a 1000 metre maiden and that’s the way it turned out.
Daniel Stackhouse was content to sit three deep on the daughter of Exceed And Excel who was in a race of her own in the straight.
Under very little urging, Minhaaj won by five lengths, dashing home the last 600 metres in 33.7, more than a second quicker than the next best on the day.
A homebred for Shadwell Stud, Minhaaj descends from the family of Sovereign Edition’s sister Royal News (IRE), which has been a great favourite of this column over the years.
This family has branched off in many directions so we will concentrate on that of Minhaaj’s dam Telaawa.
Purchased by Shadwell Australia for $180,000 out of the Yarraman Park draft at the 2013 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Telaawa never threatened to earn her purchase price back on the track.
It took the daughter of Lonhro five starts to break her maiden at Ballarat and three starts later, after finishing third to the subsequent Group 1 Queensland Derby winner, Magicool at Caulfield, Telaawa was off to the breeding shed.
Minhaaj is her first foal and the daughter of Exceed And Excel gets the opportunity in Saturday’s Group III TBV Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (1200m) at Flemington to honour her dam as the fourth consecutive member of her line to leave a stakes-winner.
Telaawa’s dam, the stakes-placed Danehill Dancer mare Magic Harmony left the talented Charmed Harmony (Hussonet) whose 13 wins included the Group III MRC Sandown Stakes, and the South African Group III winner Suyoof (Magic Albert).
Magic Harmony is a half-sister to Group III winner Life’s A Bounty (Bahamian Bounty) and the multiple Listed winner Miss Prospect (Rory’s Jester).
Here we get the first hint that Exceed And Excel works well with this family as Miss Prospect is the dam of Exceed And Excel’s Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Reward For Effort.
Miss Prospect is also the dam of the millionaire Consular (Royal Academy), a multiple Listed winner who was runner-up in the Group 1 QTC Stradbroke Hcp, and the unbeaten Snippets filly Bahia who when mated with Exceed And Excel left the Group 1 ATC Golden Slipper winner Overreach as well as the highly promising, Group II ATC Expressway Stakes winner Standout and the talented Outreach who at his one start finished second to Vancouver in the Group III Canonbury Stakes before taking up residence at Widden Stud.
Telaawa foaled another Exceed And Excel filly last spring before missing to Hellbent.
