Starting from one of the outside barriers, two-year-old Exceed And Excel filly Applegate was making her race track debut off the back of a smart barrier trial win almost four weeks ago.
Settling just off the pace, the filly worked home at an impressive rate of knots to get up in the last few strides to defeat the Gerald Ryan-trained Snitzerland by a head in the Listed Emirates Airline Plate over Flemington's 1000m course.
Racing in the colours of Sheikh Mohammed and trained by Peter Snowden, Applegate is out of the Storm Cat mare Klamath Falls, a daughter of G1 winner Link River. Already the dam of Stakes winner Yulalona, Klamath Falls recently foaled a full-sister to Applegate and will be covered by Darley shuttle stallion Bernardini in the coming weeks.
The sire of 42 international Stakes winners including star three-year-old colt Helmet, a recent record-breaking winner of the G1 Caulfield Guineas, Exceed And Excel's reputation has gone from strength to strength in both hemispheres, siring the likes of G1 winners Reward For Effort, Excelebration and Margot Did.
