Exceed And Excel Tops Darley Australia Stallion Roster

The fee of Bivouac, declared the most exciting prospect Godolphin has retired to stud since his father in 2004, has been set as Darley Australia unveiled a diverse 2021 stallion roster led by the three-time group 1 winner's own champion sire Exceed And Excel .

The two-state Darley roster of 20 stallions, all of which are group 1 winners, has four newcomers this year headed by Bivouac, who will stand for AU$66,000, after the decision was made to bring his successful three-season racetrack career to an end earlier this month.

Andy Makiv, Darley Australia's head of sales, believes the fee befits the credentials Bivouac has as a young stallion, and that has been backed up by the fact breeding rights in the rising 5-year-old have already been snapped up.

Makiv told ANZ Bloodstock News: "He's a triple group 1-winning star sprinter. He won the Golden Rose (G1) at 3, beating a very good field, and he obviously had two dominant displays up the Flemington straight, winning the Newmarket (G1) and the Darley Sprint (G1), so we think his fee's spot on and we expect him to be very popular at that fee.

"It's a credit to the horse to be a really good 2-year-old, a champion 3-year-old, and an outstanding 4-year-old. It is a testament to how good he is, how sound he is, how mentally strong he is, and they are all features of a great athlete, and hopefully he can pass those qualities onto his stock.

"I think he is as exciting a prospect as we've put on the roster since his father, so we're really excited to have him and hopefully he's the horse to emulate the deeds of his sire Exceed And Excel."

Darley had already announced the service fees of its three new shuttlers, Pinatubo  (AU$44,000), Ghaiyyath  (AU$27,500), and Earthlight  (AU$22,000).

Exceed And Excel will remain at an unchanged fee of AU$132,000, while fellow long-time barnmate and Darley stalwart, champion sire Lonhro , will also stand at an unchanged AU$66,000.

Makiv said Exceed And Excel, a rising 21-year-old, would have his book capped at 100 mares this year.

"He topped Inglis Easter for averages, which is an amazing feat, and he had a record-breaking colt for him of AU$2.1 million (US$1,607,107), that's his highest-selling yearling," he said. 

"He's the sire of the past two Coolmore Stud Stakes (G1) winners at Flemington in Exceedance, who quinellaed the race two years ago with Bivouac, and then last year with September Run, so he's doing it on the track, he's doing it in the sales ring, and is essentially the ultimate champion stallion."

On Lonhro, who turns 23 in December, Makiv said: "He's getting towards the latter part of his career but he still holds up in the sale ring and he can still get the right product. 

"Interestingly, for a horse who is still active, he had five runners as a broodmare sire in this year's Blue Diamond (G1), so he's becoming an extraordinarily well-regarded broodmare sire and he's still covering mares himself, which tells you a fair bit."

Street Boss On the Move

In a shake-up of the impressive Darley line-up, shuttler Street Boss  —the sire of recent Inglis Sires' (G1) winner Anamoe, 2020 Crown Perth Winterbottom Stakes (G1) winner Elite Street, and last season's top-class 2-year-old Hanseatic—will relocate from Victoria to Kelvinside in New South Wales.

As a result of his growing Australian success, Street Boss' fee has also been doubled to AU$55,000 this year.

"He's a stallion who has done a great job in Victoria and he's the sire of elite 2-year-olds and he's one of the few stallions this season who has sired two group 1 winners, so he's right at the top of his game," said Makiv.

"We've elected to move Street Boss up to NSW, where there's a nice opportunity for the breeders to access him at a similar price point (to the Darley Victoria stallions). 

"It separates Frosted  , Blue Point , and Brazen Beau  from Street Boss and it gives both rosters a nice balanced feel about it."

Fellow U.S. shuttler Frosted, whose first Southern Hemisphere 2-year-olds have made a big impression through the deeds of twice group 1-placed, dual stakes-winning colt Ingratiating, Cloudy, and Frost Flowers, will remain in Victoria at Northwood Park at an increased fee of AU$44,000.

"He's had to date only the nine runners, he's had five winners, four stakes-performed, and two stakes winners so you literally cannot start any better," Makiv said. 

"He's made a really huge impression in a short amount of time and he's a stallion we expect to be really popular this year. The phones are ringing for him already. 

"He will take no time at all to be fully booked, so the Victorians have a really exciting stallion on their hands at Northwood Park."

Dual group 1-winning miler Kermadec , who stood his first five years at stud at Kelvinside and is the sire of dual group 1-winning filly Montefilia, will move south, joining Frosted and six other stallions in Victoria, where he will stand for a fee of AU$11,000.

Brazen Beau, whose group 3-winning, group 1-placed son North Pacific has been retired to stand at Newgate Farm this year, has had his fee left unchanged at AU$49,500.

Makiv says Australian breeders, buoyed by a record yearling market, have already been making inquiries about fees and making bookings, even before Darley officially released its fees.

"The sales have been strong and breeders are getting organized and putting mares through and doing their matings early," he said. 

"There's a fear of missing out I think, so people are very much on the phone and email and being active in doing their matings this year. 

"We're certainly not expecting any of the difficulties we did last year (with COVID-19), so it's full steam ahead."

Exosphere  and Sepoy  will not return to the Darley roster this year.