The Exceed And Excel filly Minhaaj put up some sensational figures when winning on debut at Bendigo on February 15 and she showed that was no fluke when spacing her rivals by upwards of four and a half lengths in the Group III TBV Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (1200m) to open proceedings on Super Saturday at Flemington.
With Daniel Stackhouse a last-minute replacement for Luke Nolen, Minhaaj tracked down the centre of the track and when Stackhouse asked for an effort, the daughter of Exceed And Excel put the race to bed in a matter of strides.
She defeated the favoured I Am Invincible filly Muntaseera by four and a half lengths with the Akeed Mofeed (GB) filly Succeed Indeed a short-half-head back in third.
“She began well and relaxed nicely early, I got her momentum going at the 500 metres but I hit the front a lot earlier than I wanted to. She got a very bright future,” Stakehouse said.
It was a fifth win in the race for David Hayes who trains in partnership with son Ben and Tom Dabernig.
“I loved the way she relaxed and ran out a strong 1200m so she will be heading to Sydney,” David Hayes said.
“It was bad luck for Luke because he has done plenty of work on her but so has Stakehouse, he won on her and galloped her on Monday so he got the reward so that was terrific.
“I have no hesitation in going to Sydney now. I don’t know if she will have enough money for the big one (Golden Slipper), but we will certainly head towards it. She has hit form at the right time while a lot of the others are losing form.”
A homebred for Shadwell Stud, Minhaaj is out of the Lonhro mare Telaawa who was purchased by Shadwell Australia for $180,000 out of the Yarraman Park draft at the 2013 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale
It took the daughter of Lonhro five starts to break her maiden at Ballarat and three starts later, after finishing third to the subsequent Group 1 Queensland Derby winner, Magicool at Caulfield, Telaawa was off to the breeding shed.
Minhaaj is the first foal of Telaawa who becomes the fourth consecutive member of her line to leave a stakes-winner.
Telaawa’s dam, the stakes-placed Danehill Dancer mare Magic Harmony left the talented Charmed Harmony (Hussonet) whose 13 wins included the Group III MRC Sandown Stakes, and the South African Group III winner Suyoof (Magic Albert).
Magic Harmony is a half-sister to Group III winner Life’s A Bounty (Bahamian Bounty) and the multiple Listed winner Miss Prospect (Rory’s Jester) who really clicked with Exceed And Excel leaving the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner Reward For Effort.
Miss Prospect is also the dam of the millionaire Consular (Royal Academy), a multiple Listed winner who was runner-up in the Group 1 QTC Stradbroke Hcp, and the unbeaten Snippets filly Bahia who when mated with Exceed And Excel left the Group 1 ATC Golden Slipper winner Overreach as well as the highly promising, Group II ATC Expressway Stakes winner Standout and the talented Outreach who at his one start finished second to Vancouver in the Group III Canonbury Stakes before taking up residence at Widden Stud.
Telaawa foaled another Exceed And Excel filly last spring before missing to Hellbent.
Back on this day in 2004, Exceed And Excel scored a career-defining win in the Group 1 VRC Newmarket Handicap. Darley Stud’s flagship stallion takes his stakes tally to 166.
