Category Archives: Excellent Art

Pivotal and son get new Stakes winners

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The Aga Khan’s immense breeding program has provided Pivotal (Polar Falcon – Fearless Revival, by Cozzene) with his 97th individual Stakes winner when Harasiya (Pivotal – Hazariya, by Xaar) claimed the Group 3 Silver Flash Stakes (7f) at Leopardstown.

The sire of top stallions Kyllachy (Pivotal – Pretty Poppy, by Song) and Captain Rio (Pivotal – Beloved Visitor) has enjoyed terrific success during the 2012 northern hemisphere racing season. Harasiya won on debut over the Sliver Flash Stakes course before producing her second win from as many starts on Thursday.

The Aga Khan’s retained jockey Johnny Murtagh gave the filly time to balance in the second half of the field before the two-year-old’s powerful finishing burst proved too much for her opposition.

“She did it nicely and she is a good filly,” Harasiya’s trainer John Oxx told irish-racing.com. “It was nice to see her step up and win comfortably.

“She was a little wide and Johnny wanted to get going and she quickened up well. She goes through that soft ground well. It remains to be seen whether she’ll handle good-to-firm ground. It’s a bit of a question mark, but we’ll find out when the time comes.”

Meanwhile, Pivotal’s Coolmore Stud-based son Excellent Art (Pivotal – Obsessive, by Seeking The Gold) earned his fourth individual Stakes winner when Sparkling Portrait (Excellent Art – Time Crystal, by Sadler’s Wells) prevailed in the Listed Glasgow Stakes (11f & 16y) at Hamilton Park.

The Richard Fahey-trained three-year-old hit the lead at the furlong marker before drawing away to notch his third win from six races. The colt cost 31,000 guineas at the 2010 Tattersall’s December sale.

 

 

 

Third Australian winner for Excellent Art

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Juvenile filly Blackman (Excellent Art – Busty, by Danzero) showed herself to be a promising prospect for Coolmore shuttle stallion Excellent Art (Pivotal – Obsessive, by Seeking The Gold) with her stylish win on the Geelong Synthetic track.

Blackman took on older opposition in the Centrebet Quaddies Maiden Plate (1100m) on Tuesday. The David Hayes-trained filly gave her rivals a galloping lesson in the process of recording a one-length win.

Mark Pilkington paid just $35,000 for Blackman at the 2011 Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale. The filly looked capable of repaying her purchase price with interest during her emphatic win.

Blackman is the second winner from two foals to race out of the Danzero (Danehill – Confidentially, by Kaoru Star) mare Busty, who is a daughter of the juvenile Stakes winner Happen (Zeditave – Discriminate, by Marauding).

Blackman hails from the family of Stakes winners Major (Zeditave – Discriminate, by Marauding) and Shamillon (Shamardal – One In A Million, by Redoute’s Choice).

Excellent Art will stand at Coolmore’s Jerry’s Plains property for $8800 during the 2012 breeding season.

 

Pivotal mare wins Pretty Polly Stakes

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Cheveley Park Stud stallions provided the quinella in Sunday’s Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes (1-1/4m) when Izzi Top (Pivotal – Zee Zee Top, by Zafonic) defeated Sapphire (Medicean – Polished Gem, by Danehill).

Scratchings left a field of four in the event. The daughter of Pivotal (Polar Falcon – Fearless Revival, by Cozzene) sat behind Medicean’s (Machiavellian – Mystic Goddess, by Storm Bird) representative before outstaying her late in testing conditions.

Izzi Top joined her dam Zee Zee Top (Zafonic – Colorspin, by High Top) as a Group 1 winner, adding to the family of champions Opera House and Kayf Tara (both Sadler’s Wells – Colorspin, by High Top).

“She was very progressive last year and put up very good performances at Newmarket and York, so I always thought she was a Group 1 filly,” jockey William Buick told TDN.

“The ground was not ideal for her, but she won nicely.”

The victory was Izzi Top’s fourth at Stakes level. The mare is one of 96 individual Stakes winners for Pivotal, a tally which also includes stallions Excellent Art (Pivotal – Obsessive, by Seeking The Gold), Kyllachy (Pivotal – Pretty Poppy, by Song) and Captain Rio (Pivotal – Beloved Visitor, by Miswaki).

 

 

45th Stakes winner for Exceed And Excel

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Darley stallion Exceed And Excel (Danehill – Partona, by Lomond) produced the 45th individual stakes winner of his successful career when two-year-old Sabie (Exceed And Excel – Rondavel, Snippets) claimed the Listed Cinderella Stakes (1050m) at Morphettville.

The Anthony Freedman-trained filly won her first two starts before she notched a Stakes placing in the Listed Blue Diamond Preview (1000m) at Caulfield at her third start.

Darley’s retained jockey Kerrin McEvoy allowed the filly to show her usual speed before Sabie proved too tough for Alezan Thunder (Written Tycoon – Elysian, by Thunder Gulch) and Family Portrait (Excellent Art – Amen Ruby, by Rubiton).

Family Portrait became the first Australian progeny of Excellent Art (Pivotal – Obsessive, by Seeking The Gold) to obtain a Stakes placing with her effort.

Sabie is the eighth foal to race out of Rondavel (Snippets – Lusso, by Prego). Ronadvel had previously produced the Stakes-placed duo Ankaret (Desert Prince – Rondavel, by Snippets) and Graskop (Manton – Snippets, by Lusso).

Exceed And Excel enjoyed further success on Monday when talented filly Eastward (Exceed And Excel – Encarta, by Westminster) defeated her older rivals in the Windsor Management Handicap (1000m) at Moonee Valley.

The Hawkes Racing-trained three-year-old defeated No Vanity (Keep The Faith – No Mischief, by Mister C) in the $30,000 race.

First French winner for Art

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Shuttle sire Excellent Art (Pivotal) sired his first French winner on Monday when Nimohe won the Prix de l’Aunette, a 1200m fillies’ maiden at Chantilly. She is out of a mare by one time shuttle sire Gilded Time (USA).

Excellent Art, who won St James’s Palace Stakes (Gr 1) at three, has had nine winners, six in Britain and Ireland from his first-crop to race in 2011. His oldest Australian offspring are yearlings of 2011.

First SW for Excellent Art

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Coolmore shuttle-sire Excellent Art (Pivotal) was represented by his first stakeswinner at the weekend when Experience (2 f Kloonlara, by Green Desert) won the Grangecon Stud Stakes (Gr 3) over six furlongs at the Curragh last Saturday.

Sent off a short priced favourite on the back of an impressive score in maiden company on her last start, Experience tracked the leaders through the early stages of the race. Produced on the outside of her rivals with just over a furlong to run, Experience  sprinted clear to win by nearly two lengths.

“She is a classy filly and did it well. She has plenty of size and strength, a high cruising speed and she quickened well,” trainer David Wachman said. “We might look to a race like the (G1) Moyglare Stud Stakes for her later on”.

Excellent Art will stand the 2011 season at Coolmore Australia for $11,000 (incl. GST)