Managing part-owner Neill Werrett revealed today that Exceed And Excel ‘ticked all the boxes’ for the first mate of equine superstar Black Caviar.
Breeding experts believe that the progeny of Black Caviar and Exeed And Excel could fetch over $7 million at auction. Photo by: Race Horse Photos Australia
Speaking on the Racing Ahead radio program on RSN Werrett confirmed that Exceed And Excel had been at the top of the owners shortlist for several months but they wanted to take a conservative approach and wait for any developments before announcing their decision.
“A decision had to be made at some stage and we did a lot of work and analysis with the help of a lot of people a few months back,” Werrett told RSN.
“We just sat back waiting to see if there was any changes to where the stallions were going in the last few months but we are all very happy with the decision to go to Exceed And Excel.
“On type and on performance, he just ticked every box that we wanted from a first year stallion.”
Werrett said that Exceed And Excel’s proven record of producing early type of horses was critical to their decision, with the son of Danehill the leading sire of Australian juvenile winners for the last four years and the world’s leading sire of Stakes-winning two-year-olds from 2008 to 2013, and added he isn’t worried about the risks of breeding a sprinter with a sprinter.
“You sometimes don’t want to breed sprinters with sprinters but she is a strong, muscular and big mare who could run over 1400 and probably a mile if Peter wanted her too,” Werrett said.
“We are very comfortable with the decision, whether it turns out right or wrong we won’t know for three years, but for the first year we are very happy with where we have gone.”
Immediately after the retirement of Black Caviar there was great speculation around the world that she would be sent to undefeated European superstar Frankel but Werrett believes that is now unlikely, although he admitted that the son of Galileo was on their shortlist.
“Frankel was certainly on the list and we spoke about it a lot even though we didn’t want to go to a first year stallion,” Werrett said.
“If we had gone to Royal Ascot and been in England it would have been hard not to stay there and go to Frankel because on type he is a very good match.
“It is difficult with a mare in foal to transport her all the way across the world; you would have to think about it doing it a year or so before and the logistics of doing all that are something we haven’t considered yet.”
Connections of the wonder mare admitted to being excited to race her progeny during the press conference announcing her retirement in April and Werrett confirmed that this was still the plan despite some breeding experts predicting that the offspring of Black Caviar and Exceed And Excel could be sold for an excess of $7 million.
“I think it would be like selling one of your kids wouldn’t it,” Werrett said with a laugh.
“She has been so good to us and everybody is very keen to race the progeny.
“We don’t expect anything like what we had with Black Caviar but to race her progeny would be the next step in the dream.”
