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13.
Excellerating
To The Top
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05/10/2002 |
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On this day two-years ago a young son of the champion stallion Marscay raced
away to win the AJC Cannonbury Stakes (LR) at his first start. Named
Excellerator he subsequently proved to be one of the best two-year olds of his
year. A crowd of nearly 30,000 at Royal Randwick today witnessed the Gai
Waterhouse trained Excellerator do what he has promised since that day two-years
ago, win a Group 1 feature race.
The four-year old gelding, given the run of the race by Jim Cassidy, raced away
to a 2 ½-lengths win over stablemate Kingsgate (Danzero-Vowed by Without Fear
(FR)) with Gordo (Brief Truce (USA)-Spirit by Danehill (USA)) a short-head away
third in the Group 1 Energy Australia-Epsom Handicap.
Marscay
Excellerator burst onto the scene as a two-year old winning the AJC Canonbury
Stakes (LR), a pair of Sydney two-year old handicap races over 1100m, Gold Coast
Magic Millions Stakes (RL), and STC Silver Slipper Stakes (G2). Excellerator
proved his undoubted class when second to stablemate Ha Ha in the STC Golden
Slipper Stakes (G1) and second again behind champion two-year old Viscount
Skyline Stakes (G3).
Excellerator’s triumphant juvenile season was followed by a frustrating,
winless classic year. A disappointing first up fifth in the San Domenico Stakes
(G2) was followed by a third in the Up And Coming Stakes (G2), seconds in both
the Peter Pan Stakes (G2) and Gloaming Stakes (G2) and second last of nine
starters in the Spring Champion Stakes (G1). Given a 6-months break Excellerator
reappeared with a third behind Mistegic (Strategic) and Century Kid (Centaine)
in the AJC The Galaxy (G1) on March 30.
It was another 5-months before the now four-year old Excellerator reappeared
with a sixth in the Concorde Stakes (G3) at Rosehill. The chestnut was back on
the winning track with a fighting win in the Cameron Handicap (LR) at Newcastle
before an excellent second behind Defier in the Group 1 George Main Stakes at
Randwick. Meeting Defier 3.5 kgs better off at the weights and with that horse
meeting more than his share of traffic problems throughout the race,
Excellerator made what looked to be a highly competitive handicap a one horse
race.
At the 1997 Gold Coast Magic Millions Sale Gai Waterhouse purchased a chestnut
colt by Marscay out of the Dahar mare Artless for $200,000. The colt raced as
Consolidator, a promising stayer, which won five races and was stakes-placed six
times from 36 starts for earnings of $280,410.
The success of Consolidator encouraged Waterhouse to seek out his three-years
younger brother at the 2000 Magic Millions sale. At $50,000 Excellerator was
$150,000 cheaper than his older brother. The $364,000 winners cheque for the
Epsom Handicap takes Excellerator’s earnings to just under $2 million with 7
wins, 5 seconds and 2 thirds from 17 starts.
Excellerator becomes the thirteenth Group 1 winner by the Widden Stud legend
Marscay whose final crop hit the racetracks this year. Since beginning his stud
career in 1983 Marscay has sired more than 473 winners from 669 runners (70.7%),
63 stakes winners (9.4%), 51 stakes-placed (7.6%) for earnings approaching $48
million. His Group 1 winners include Triscay, Jetball, March Hare, Sharscay,
Great Command, Masked Party, Bint Marscay, Miss Margaret, Comely Girl, Reenact,
Circles Of Gold and Heart Ruler.
Excellerator is the fifth foal and fourth winner for the Dahar mare Artless who
could manage no better than two Hawkesbury placings in her 7-race career when
trained by Dr. Geoff Chapman.
The magnificently bred Dahar won four Group 1 races in France and the U.S.A. for
earnings of $US$1.2 million. A pioneering shuttle stallion Dahar stood at
Waikato Stud in N.Z. and Brookside Farm, Kentucky. A son of the champion
Northern Dancer stallion Lyphard out of one of the greatest mares racemares of
the twentieth century, duel English Horse Of The Year Dahlia (Vaguely Noble),
Dahar proved a major disappointment at stud.
Artless is out of the Vain mare Paris Look, winner of the VATC Mona Nursery (LR)
and dam of three stakes-placed winners Kabinda (Kenmare), Plaza Athenee (Tolemeo)
and Chase the Chick (Kenmare).
By: Mark Smith
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