Queen leads Royal Ascot cavalry charge for Exceed And Excel

This week’s royal meeting marks ten years since Exceed And Excel’s first-crop son Flashmans Papers sliced through the field to cause a 100-1 upset in the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes, becoming the first of the sire’s offspring to return to the Royal Ascot winner’s enclosure.

Since then, the son of Danehill has supplied five further winners at the annual jamboree of Flat racing over distances from five furlongs up to a mile, with the age profile of his winners ranging from two to eight.

The progeny of Exceed And Excel - who stands at a €50,000 fee at Kildangan Stud - appear to have that extra set of gears over sprint trips, with the sire himself having recorded five of his six Group wins over six furlongs for Australian trainer Tim Martin.

Buratino recorded an RPR of 113 when forging clear to win the 2015 Coventry Stakes, while Best Terms showed class in abundance to win the 2011 Queen Mary Stakes.

Over a mile, Belgian Bill provided trainer George Baker with his only winner at the meeting to date when landing the Royal Hunt Cup in 2013.

EXCEED AND EXCEL'S ROYAL ASCOT WINNERS

Exceed And Excel supplied a brace of winners at Royal Ascot for the first time last year, as Sound And Silence won the Windsor Castle on the opening day and Out Do followed up in the Wokingham Stakes on the final day. As an eight-year-old gelding, Out Do was the joint-oldest in the 27-runner Wokingham.

Other progeny to hit the crossbar at Royal Ascot include Excelebration, twice placed behind Frankel in Group 1 mile contests, Outstrip, third in the St James’s Palace Stakes, and Margot Did, who found only Memory too good in the 2010 Albany Stakes.

That all paints a very favourable picture for punters who have sided with Exceed And Excel at Royal Ascot – a £1 stake on all his juveniles since his first runner in 2008 would have returned £138 from a £42 outlay, while £1 on all 95 progeny runs would have returned £198, more than double the amount staked.

Perhaps even more remarkably, you would still have made a profit, albeit small, if Flashmans Papers had not caused a 100-1 upset in the Windsor Castle.

Fast-forward to 2:32 to see Exceed And Excel parading at last year's stallion parade at Dalham Hall Stud

Four of Exceed And Excel’s six Royal Ascot scorers won as juveniles and the William Haggas-trained Queen Of Bermuda looks to have a live chance against the boys in the Norfolk Stakes, having stamped her Royal Ascot credentials with a smooth success in a Windsor novice earlier this month.

She flies the flag for Bermuda Thoroughbred Racing, a collection of owners from the island territory who also campaigned Group 3-winning miler Johnny Barnes, now standing at Haras des Granges in France.

Elite Racing Club’s homebred filly Tribute Act - who as a daughter of Sister Act is a half-sister to the syndicate’s Prix Jean Romanet scorer Ribbons - should not be disregarded for the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes.

And what a story it would be if Out Do could retain his Wokingham Stakes crown at the age of nine.

Exceed And Excel’s legacy looks set to continue with Excelebration having sired last year’s St James’s Palace hero Barney Roy from his first crop, while his freshman sire sons Bungle Inthejungle and Kuroshio have a combined 16 winners at this early stage of the season.

If you enjoyed this, you should also read:

The story of Scat Daddy, source of Justify and Royal Ascot sire extraordinaire