JOHN JENKINS
Xcellent's freakish performance to win Saturday's group one $200,000 Mudgway Fair Tax For Racing Stakes at Hastings buried a ghost that has haunted his co-trainer Andrew Scott for two years.
Scott trains Xcellent in partnership with Melbourne-based Mike Moroney and the pair have been a formidable force in New Zealand racing over the past five years.
But Scott, 30, experienced one of his lowest moments in racing at Hastings two years ago when stable runner Penny Gem was declared a late scratching for the richest weight-for-age race in New Zealand, the group one $750,000 Kelt Capital Stakes.
Scott had been seen administering a substance, said to be a homeopathic medication, to Penny Gem two hours before the race and the judicial committee scratched the horse. Scott was fined $5000 and ordered to pay $1600 costs at a later inquiry.
He also suffered another setback to his career in February of this year when disqualified from training for falsifying documents regarding the eligibility of one of his horses, Realign, to race in blinkers.
It meant he had to be temporarily replaced as Moroney's training partner by the latter's brother Paul but was reinstated at the beginning of this month when his disqualification ended.
The two incidents have kept the normally jovial Scott in a rather sombre mood and away from racing's limelight but Xcellent thrust him back to the fore with an outstanding win in Saturday's feature.
"Its been a year or two of ups and downs but now that's all behind me and I'm excited about the future," said a beaming Scott after leading Xcellent back to the winner's stall on Saturday.
"This would have to be my best moment in racing and I've promised everyone I won't be getting in trouble with the authorities again," he added.
Xcellent credited Scott with his biggest win as a trainer when taking out the $500,000 Mercedes New Zealand Derby (2400m) at Ellerslie last Boxing Day.
The horse was awesome against his own age group then, coming from last on the home turn to win at just his third race start.
On Saturday he was being hailed as an equine freak after producing a similar performance to win the Mudgway in his first race for five months.
Having his first ever start at 1400m, and up against the best weight-for-age field that could be assembled at this time, Xcellent turned in an amazing effort to come from near last on the home turn and win by three-quarters of a length.
It was run definitely on a par with star Australian galloper Starcraft's performance to win the same race last year, when he also came from a seemingly hopeless position.
After being slow to get into stride, Xcellent was still back second to last on the home turn on Saturday and had a 14-horse wall in front of him.
The Pentire four-year-old still looked a forelorn hope when rider Michael Coleman finally managed to angle him to the outside with 300 metres to run.
Tough mare Miss Potential and the speedy Shindig were fighting out the finish inside the last 200 metres and, although Xcellent was mounting a huge finish, everyone thought he would be too late.
But once Coleman gave the big gelding a couple of cracks with the whip he seemed to change into overdrive sweeping past the two leaders with giant strides to win, going away.
"I think we've just seen a pretty freakish performance," a stunned Paul Moroney said after the win.
Moroney is a part-owner in the horse, who is unbeaten in five New Zealand starts, and also manager of the large syndicate that races him.
"I didn't think he could win a group one at 1400m against a horse like Miss Potential," Moroney said.
"I don't think there's another horse in New Zealand who could do what he did today, especially over a distance well short of his best."
"He's got a wicked turn of foot and is just a super racehorse."
Experienced jockey Michael Coleman echoed those comments and rates the horse as good, if not better, as any he has ridden in the past.
"On what he's done out there today you would just about have to put him on top as the best I've ridden," he said.
Coleman was thinking the best he could hope for was to be running home nicely for fourth of fifth when approaching the home turn.
"Even at the 200 I thought I was only going to run third but when I gave him a couple behind the saddle it was like pushing the turbo button."
Scott was as stunned as any one by Xcellent's performance.
"We've always said he was good but I didn't know he was that good ... it was amazing," Scott said.
Racing's new star truly Xcellent
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