Exceed And Excel’s son Heavy Metal continues to be in the form of his life and on Saturday, 17 February he won his second Group race of 2018. Already the four-and-a-half-length winner of the G2 Al Maktoum Challenge R2 back in January, he had no problem with the drop in class to easily make all the running, winning by a huge margin of nine-and-three-quarter lengths, in the G3 Firebreak Stakes over a mile at Meydan.
Winning his 14th career race, Heavy Metal also won the G2 Richmond Stakes as a two-year-old when in training with Mark Johnston and the G3 Burj Nahaar last season.
Heavy Metal is out of the South African-bred dam Rock Opera, a Champion juvenile filly in her native land. She has bred two winners so far and also has a yearling colt by Shamardal.
Exceed And Excel is the world’s leading source of juvenile winners, Stakes horses and Stakes winners. He again had another exceptional season in Europe in 2017, siring twice as many juvenile sprint Stakes winners as any other stallion. His four scorers were headed by G2 Lowther heroine Threading and G2 Mill Reef winner James Garfield. He is standing this season at a fee of €50,000 Oct 1, SLF.
