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Darren Dance snapped up a filly by Exceed And Excel for $350,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale.
Esker Lodge's Darren Dance was thanking his lucky stars he purchased Charge Forward (Red Ransom) mare Swaane after her filly by Darley's Exceed And Excel (Danehill) was snapped up by Caulfield-based trainer Clinton McDonald for $350,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale on Monday.
Dance purchased the mare for $110,000 in foal to Vinery Stud's Headwater (Exceed And Excel) at the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale, subsequently selling the colt yearling to Star Thoroughbreds for $130,000 at last year's Premier sale and the mare is currently in foal to Newgate Farm-based sire Russian Revolution (Snitzel).
"We've got the mare at home in foal to Russian Revolution and she is going to be a very good mare for us," said Dance. "She wasn't an expensive mare for us, we bought her in foal to Headwater for $110,000 at Magics. So we are delighted to get that sort of result, it makes the whole game worthwhile."
Dance said the way the progeny of Exceed And Excel had been performing on the track this season with the likes of Group 1-winning colts Exceedance and Bivouac it is the perfect time to sell a yearling by the Darley stallion.
"She was a beautiful filly and I was very glad to see Exceed And Excel going so well recently - so it was a great result," said Dance. "She is going to a good trainer at Caulfield, so she is in our backyard and hopefully she can do something special on the track and cover my retirement fund."
Catalogued as Lot 471, the filly's dam - Swanne - is a half-sister to Group 2 winner Jessy Belle (Rock Of Gibraltar).
Meanwhile, the filly's third dam is dual Group 1 winner Flitter (Bluebird), while further back the filly is from the same family as Group 2 winner Ringerdingding (Sebring).
McDonald got some invaluable insight ahead of the sale with Exceed And Excel's trainer Timmy Martin telling the trainer to purchase her.
"Timmy Martin, who used to train Exceed And Excel, really liked her - so she fitted the bill," said McDonald.
"She had a great temperament and we like Exceed And Excel and the Charge Forward mares. She is a filly that we really liked and we're glad we got her. We thought she was around the $300,000 mark if you really want them, you go that bit extra - so I think that was a reasonable price.
"She had a great hind-quarter, good hip, good shoulder and she was well put together. She looks like she could get up and go early."
