The Breeders’ Cup meeting at Santa Anita in November could be the final stop for Excelebration (Exceed And Excel – Sun Shower, by Indian Ridge) after the son of Darley stallion Exceed And Excel (Danehill – Patrona, by Lomond) won the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (1m) at Ascot.
Excelebration posted his third Group 1 win in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes after the entire prevailed in the Jacques le Marois (1600m) at Deauville and Prix Du Moulin (1600m) at Longchamp.
The high-class miler relished the absence of wonder horse Frankel (Galileo – Kind, by Danehill) to win his ninth race from 15 starts, taking the Queen Elizabeth Stakes by three lengths.
Champion Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien said the four-year-old would travel to the US with the idea of an aggressive tilt at the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Mile.
“We are delighted,” O’Brien said.” He’s been working brilliant. He’s got an awful lot of speed and class, and (jockey) Joseph (O’Brien) was confident.
“ The lads did a great job with him at home. If he’s OK and everybody is happy we’ll go to the Breeders’ Cup.
:”He was a good two-year-old and three-year-old and it has taken us a while to get to know him. He is getting quicker and heavier with every run. I had a fair idea what Joseph wanted to do and he had a lot of confidence in the horse.
“The better he gets the more the boys want him (for Coolmore Stud), it’s something we will have to discuss at the end of the year.”