Racing: Xcellent excels in Mudgway

New Zealand's champion horse of the year Xcellent was being hailed as an equine freak after producing a stunning performance to win the Group One $200,000 Mudgway Fair Tax For Racing Stakes at Hastings yesterday.

In his start at 1400m and against the best weight-for-age field that could be assembled in New Zealand, Xcellent unleashed an amazing effort to come from second-last on the home turn and win by 3/4 of a length.

It was a 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 and had a 14-horse wall in front of him.

The Pentire 4-year-old still looked a forelorn hope when rider Michael Coleman angled him to the outside with 300 metres to run.

Tough mare Miss Potential and the speedy Shinzig were fighting out the finish inside the last 200 metres and, although Xcellent was coming, everyone thought he would be too late.

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 brother of Xcellent's Australian-based co-trainer Mike Moroney and also the manager of the large syndicate of people who race him.

"I didn't think he could win a Group One at 1400m against a horse like Miss Potential," Moroney said. "He has a wicked turn of foot and is just a super racehorse."

Coleman echoed those comments and rates the horse as good, if not better, than any he has ridden.

"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 thought the best he could hope for was fourth or fifth when approaching the home turn.

"Even at the 200, I thought I was only going for third but when I gave him a couple behind the saddle it was like pushing the turbo button."

At the line Xcellent was a comfortable 3/4 of a length ahead of Miss Potential, with Shinzig half a neck back in third place.

It was a case of deja vu for Miss Potential and rider Reese Jones. They looked to have last year's Mudgway Stakes won until the last couple of strides, when the mare was monstered by Starcraft.

Miss Potentital tried to lead all the way and gave her all yet again in a valiant attempt to hang on.

"I still thought she was going to win until I heard commentator Tony Lee calling something getting home and he [Xcellent] flashed past us."

Shinzig over-raced in the early stages of the race according to rider Leith Innes but had every chance over the final stages.

"We were just beaten by a freak effort," Innes said.

Although Xcellent might return to Hastings for either the Stoney Bridge Stakes or the Kelt Capital Stakes, his ultimate target this year is the Melbourne Cup (3200m).

- HERALD ON SUNDAY