22 Sep 2021Excelida showed plenty of heart to overcome a tough run and return to winning ways at Flemington this afternoon.
Our daughter of Exceed And Excel hadn’t been successful for 17 months, but she had weighed in on nine occasions between wins and her genuine nature has finally been fully rewarded.
The Ben and JD Hayes-trained Excelida had to do it the hard way too as she was parked three wide all the way under Damien Oliver and showed commendable fight in the run home to score by a half-neck and post the fourth victory of her career.
“It’s a really great result and everybody can go home happy. She has come back from a break in good order, she’s more mature now and she really stretched out in the straight,” stable representative Bruno Rouge-Serret said.
“It’s great to see her back.”
Excelida was bred by Trelawney Stud and John and Di Struthers and we purchased her for AU$460,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
She has obvious future broodmare appeal as she is a half-sister to the multiple Group 1 winner and producer Ocean Park and to the dam of the dual Group 1 winner and sire Grunt. It is also the family of another champion stallion in O’Reilly.