Just weeks after it was announced that Exceed And Excel had been retired from stud duty, one of his sons will replace him on the Darley stallions’ roster with Cylinder retired from racing.
Darley revealed on Thursday morning that this year’s Newmarket Handicap would stand the upcoming breeding season at its Northwood property in Seymour.
“This is a significant boost for Northwood Park and shows how much we admire the property and the breeding industry in Victoria,” Darley’s Australian Head of Sales, Andy Makiv, said.
“A Newmarket winner, who’s by Exceed And Excel out of the Group-winning Street Cry mare (Circular), from the family of Lonhro, Cylinder captures three great Darley stallions from the last two decades.
“He was an elite two-year-old, by the best sire of two-year-olds who trained on at three to win the Newmarket, just like Exceed And Excel.
“To win the Silver Slipper, dominate the Todman, finish second in the Slipper, and display brilliance in the Newmarket, defeating the 10-time G1 winner Imperatriz and a handful of G1 winners, is quite some record.”
Cylinder failed to beat home a rival in the last of 14 starts, in the Group 1 William Reid Stakes at The Valley on March 23, but defeated star sprinter Imperatriz in the 1200-metre Group 1 Newmarket Handicap at his start prior.
He won the Group 3 Vain Stakes (1100m) and Group 2 Run To Rose Stakes (1200m) last spring, before a third placing in the Group 1 Golden Rose (1400m), while he was runner-up to Shinzo in the Golden Slipper (1200m) as a two-year-old.
Cylinder will become the second Newmarket Handicap-winning son of Exceed And Excel on the Darley roster, joining Bivouac – the 2020 Newmarket champion – who stands at Kelvinside in New South Wales.