Born To Excel took another step on the way to fulfilling his potential at Belmont on Saturday. He will peak at four and connections are building a solid platform for a future at back-type level.
Born To Excel (3c Exceed And Excel – Born Priceless by Pricelessly) improved his strike-rate to 3 wins in 7 starts after a progressive result in the Westspeed Hcp (1300m). He has been placed in the other 4 including the G3 Lee-Steere Classic in December.
Trainer Dan Morton is having a winter spell in the Top End and his father Len predicted the lightly raced colt would also go out for a break. “That was another step forward,” Morton snr said. “He will be a nice horse in the autumn.”
Yarradale Stud’s Ron Sayers races Born To Excel in partnership with Steve and Helen Palmer, Peter Blackburn and Greg Black. Sayers retained a share after selling him for $200,000 at the 2010 Perth Magic Millions.
His sire Exceed And Excel has developed into a headline act among the 26 stallions in residence at Darley. At a $66,000 service fee, he is fourth on the expense list behind Lonhro, Street Cry and Medaglia d’Oro.
Dan Morton rated Born To Excel top shelf after he won first-up as a spring three year-old. “There’s class stamped all over him,” Morton claimed. “He’s by a great stallion and the dam had a lot of ability, too.”
Born Priceless won the 2001 Karrakatta Plate in Yarradale’s colours and is from one of Sunspeed’s most influential families.
Second-dam Born Rich (Beau Sovereign) won a Queens Plate despite being bombarded by seagulls. Her year older brother Sovereign Ghost was a front-line warhorse winning 28 sprints in 140 starts. He even went east and led the 1982 VRC Newmarket won by Razor Sharp.
The family broke out nationally during the 1980s with The Heavyweight, Zedrich and Born Western. The updates keep coming with Group 1 mares Rostova (Testa Rossa) and Imananabaa (Anabaa).
The Exceed And Excel sireline is about to lift-off with his first sons just starting out at stud. Blue Diamond winner Reward For Effort covered 150 mares in his first book at Chatswood Stud in 2011.
His Irish-bred son Excelebration won the G1 Prix du Moulin at Longchamp last year and has been runner-up to Frankel five times. He has been slated for shuttle duties after being purchased by Coolmore Stud.
There’s bound to be a place for Born To Excel on a future Yarradale roster with some black-type of his own in the bank.