Million dollar babies

Baby Corn becomes the thirteenth Stakes winner for Exceed And Excel; Adelaide Magic Millions winner for Strategic

The precocious Baby Corn had already earned black type in her short career and became a Stakes winner on Monday when landing the Listed Pewsey Vale Stakes at Morphettville on Adelaide Cup day.

By Exceed And Excel out of the Scenic mare Sweet Corn, Baby Corn was bred by Sperling Enterprises Pty Ltd and has finished in the money on all five career starts, winning two and finishing third in the Blue Diamond Preview to give her a prize-money haul to date of $114,855. She is the thirteenth black type winner for Exceed And Excel, who is also the sire of Blue Diamond hero Reward For Effort and Group Two winners Wilander and Infamous Angel.

Baby Corn’s victory was part of a treble on the Morphettville card for Victorian trainer Lee Freedman, who also scored with the Sheikh Mohammed-owned Estee and Strategic colt Pluralism, who took out the BMW 2YO Magic Millions Classic. River’s Lane, by Street Cry, was third.

Bred by Woodlands Stud out of Specie, Pluralism represented yet another notable win for Canny Lad as broodmare sire. Aside from being the damsire of stallion sensation Redoute’s Choice, Canny Lad’s recent successes via his daughters include Phenomenal Lass, who was Country Reel's first winner and was runner-up in the Listed Black Opal Stakes on Sunday. On Saturday, Commands three-year-old El Cambio, out of the Canny Lad mare Chaparra, returned from a spell to run second in the G3 Liverpool City Cup and Neroli, out of another of the former Woodlands Stud mares Dalquarren, won the G3 Millie Fox Stakes at Rosehill in February. Redoute’s Choice’s two-year-old half-brother Manhattan Rain gave his illustrious family another boost when second in the Listed Cannonbury Stakes on only his second start. Behind him that day was Wanted, who has since franked the form by winning the G3 Kindergarten Stakes on Saturday, beating Lonhro's son Purdey by a nose.

Canny Lad, Commands, Consolidator, Country Reel and Dubai Destination are among the Darley sires represented at the Adelaide Magic Millions Yearling Sale which starts today and continues until Thursday.