Southern stakes mission accomplished

As a breeder, Wellfield Lodge’s Bill Gleeson appreciates the value of black type on the pedigree page and he doesn’t mind travelling to find it.

For the second time in two years, he has enjoyed success in the Listed Gore Guineas (1335m) after Exceed And Excel’s daughter Excelleration kicked off her southern sojourn in fine style on Saturday.

In 2016, Gleeson won the event with Wafer, a filly by his resident stallion Alamosa who also sired the Gr.1 Harcourts Thorndon Mile (1600m) winner Stolen Dance, and he again celebrated as a co-breeder and part-owner with Peter Gillespie and Scott Plant of the Nigel Tiley-trained Excelleration.

"She’s only going to get better and it was a really nice win,” he said. "She’s quite tough and a filly with a bit of attitude about her.”

Excelleration has now won three of her seven starts, but she will transfer to the Riccarton stable of Shane Kennedy and Anna Furlong for the remainder of her southern stay.

"She’ll run next in the Dunedin Guineas over a mile and then we’ll assess her after that,” Gleeson said.

"Nigel has always been of the opinion that she’ll stay. Her mother Abeautifulred ran second in the New Zealand 1000 Guineas and the grand-mother You Beauty was third in the New Zealand Oaks.

"It’s nice for a young mare to now have produced a stakes winner with her first foal.”

Wellfield will offer a half-brother (Lot 13) to Excelleration by Fastnet Rock at the Book 1 Sale at Karaka on January 28.

Excelleration was ridden at Gore by Kylie Williams, who said she didn’t have to unduly pressure the filly to win with ease.

"She got held up a bit, but once into the clear she did it easily. I just changed my grip and I didn’t have to pull the stick.” – NZ Racing Desk.