After siring the quinella last year with Exceedance and Bivouac, Darley Stud’s flagship stallion Exceed And Excel struck again in the $1,500,000 Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) at Flemington, but this time it was a filly that put the colts in their place.
The Chris Waller-trained September Run has been in rare form since venturing down south with a pair of Listed wins in the Cap D'Antibes Stakes and Poseidon Stakes.
Kept in a stalking position by Craig Williams down the straight, September Run unleashed at the 250 metres to defeat another promising filly in Shamus Award’s Swats That by one and three-quarter lengths who edged out the Snitzel colt Wild Ruler by a nose for third.
“She went to the gates quite keen. I was fortunate the barrier attendants calmed her down.
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uo;I jumped out and made sure I switched her off. I was happy where I was.
“This is the best three-year-old sprinting race in the spring. She had to be good and she was with her awesome acceleration and sustained speed.”
Sporting the silks of Hermitage Thoroughbreds, September Run advances her record to five wins from seven starts with earnings of $1,185,400.
The daughter of Exceed And Excel was purchased for $380,000 out of the Blue Gum Farm draft at the 2019 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale and was bred by Greg White's Alpara Lodge in South Australia.
She is the first foal of the talented Street Cry (IRE) mare Pittsburgh Flyer, who was also bred and raced by Alpara Lodge and won the Group III RC GH Mumm Stakes and was fourth in the Group 1 Oakleigh Plate.
A daughter of the champion 2YO Filly in South Africa in 2002-03, Warning Zone (Elliador), Pittsburgh Flyer was purchased by Go Bloodstock Australia/Paul Moroney B/stock for $500,000 at the 2018 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale when carrying a filly by American Pharoah (USA).
That filly was purchased for $100,000 by Hirsch Racing out of the Coolmore draft at this year’s Easter Yearling Sale. She has been named My Yankee Girl and is in training with John Salanitri at Caulfield.
After missing to Merchant Navy in 2018, Pittsburgh Flyer foaled a filly by the dual Group 1 winning son of Fastnet Rock on August 20.
September Run becomes the 16th Group 1 winner for Exceed And Excel who stands at Darley Stud, NSW at a fee of $132,000.