Exceller (May 12, 1973 – April 7, 1997) is widely considered one of the best horses to race in the United States not to win a year-end championship. Despite his exemplary achievements as a
racehorse
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...
, and his unique accomplishment in being the only horse to ever defeat two
U.S. Triple Crown winners in the same race (and only the second ever to do so in his career), Exceller is now remembered more for the tragic manner of his death and the horse rescue movement it helped inspire.
Background
Exceller was foaled on May 12, 1973 in Kentucky. Bred by
Mrs. Charles W. Engelhard, he was sold as a yearling for approximately $27,000 to
Nelson Bunker Hunt
Nelson Bunker Hunt (February 22, 1926 – October 21, 2014) was an American oil company executive. He was a billionaire whose fortune collapsed after he and his brothers William Herbert and Lamar tried to corner the world market in silver ...
. Hunt's advisors figured that a son of European champion stayer
Vaguely Noble
Vaguely Noble (1965–1989) was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in the United Kingdom and France. The colt is best known as the winner of the 1968 Group One Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe when he defeated the best horses from Engla ...
with long and upright pasterns, would be better suited to European racing and sent him to France.
European racing career
Trained at first by
François Mathet
François Mathet ( at Vesoul – at Neuvy-le-Barrois) trained racehorses, specialising in flat racing. In France he is well-remembered for being one of the best equestrian trainers in the country's history.
Early life
Mathet was the ...
, who had been the trainer for
François Dupré
François Louis Jules Dupré (; 3 December 1888 – 26 June 1966) was a French, hotelier, art collector, and owner of the Thoroughbred horse breeding and racing farm, Haras d'Ouilly. He was a grandson of the painter Jules Dupré.
Dupré s ...
, and later by
Maurice Zilber
Maurice Zilber (c. 1920 – 21 December 2008) was a French thoroughbred horse trainer born and raised in Cairo, Egypt to a Turkish mother and a French- Hungarian father. He trained horses in Egypt from 1946 to 1962, and then moved to France wher ...
, Exceller didn't accomplish much racing as a two-year-old but blossomed as the distances got longer during his three-year-old season. While stablemates Empery and Youth were taking down the French and
English Derbys, Exceller won in the grueling
Prix Royal-Oak
The Prix Royal-Oak is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 3,100 metres (about 1 mile and 7½ furlongs), and ...
(run at 1 7/8 mile) and the
Group 1 Group 1 may refer to:
* Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal
* Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car racing, applied to standard touring cars. Comparable to modern FIA Group N
* Group On ...
Grand Prix de Paris
The Grand Prix de Paris is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 2,400 metres (about 1½ miles), and it ...
.
Shipped to England at age four, he wound up a half-length behind
The Minstrel
The Minstrel (11 March 1974 – 3 September 1990) was a Canadian-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Bred in Ontario, he was sold as a yearling and exported to Europe, where he was campaigned in Ireland and the United Kingd ...
and
Orange Bay in the
and won the Coronation Cup. Sent to
Woodbine Racetrack
Woodbine Racetrack is a race track for Thoroughbred horse racing in the Etobicoke area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Woodbine Entertainment Group, Woodbine Racetrack manages and hosts Canada's most famous race, the King's Plate. The track ...
in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, Canada, Exceller won the Canadian International.
American racing career
In the middle of 1977, Exceller was shipped to
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
and placed in the care of
Charlie Whittingham
Charles Edward Whittingham (April 13, 1913 – April 20, 1999) was an American Thoroughbred race horse trainer who is one of the most acclaimed trainers in U.S. racing history.
Early career
Born in Chula Vista, California, Whittingham began w ...
. At first, Whittingham didn't have high expectations for a horse who walked stiffly on arrival and seemed the worse for wear. However, a little time off and some of Whittingham's expertise soon had Exceller competing and winning against some of the best horses in America.
As a five-year-old in 1978, Exceller had his best season on the racecourse, winning 7 of 10 starts, all in top company, on both dirt and turf racetracks. After claiming the
Hollywood Gold Cup
The Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in May. The race currently offers a purse of $400,000. ...
,
Hollywood Invitational Turf Handicap
The Charles Whittingham Stakes is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for horses age three years old and older over a distance of miles on the turf held annually in late May at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, USA. The event cur ...
,
San Juan Capistrano Handicap
The San Juan Capistrano Stakes is a Grade III American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of run on the turf track held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in June. The event currently offers a purse ...
,
Sunset Handicap, and
Oak Tree Invitational Stakes
The John Henry Turf Championship Stakes (renamed for John Henry who won it three times) is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually during the Oak Tree Racing Association's Autumn Meeting at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.
It is ...
, Exceller had his crowning moment. With
Bill Shoemaker
William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey. For 29 years he held the world record for total professional jockey victories.
Early life
Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Sh ...
in the saddle, he came from 22 lengths back to beat
Triple Crown
Triple Crown may refer to:
Sports Horse racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States)
** Triple Crown Trophy
** Triple Crown Productions
* Canadian Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing
* Trip ...
winners
Seattle Slew
Seattle Slew (February 15, 1974 – May 7, 2002) was a champion American Thoroughbred horse racing, racehorse who became the tenth winner of the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing (United States), American Triple Crown (1977). He is one of only ...
and
Affirmed
Affirmed (February 21, 1975 – January 12, 2001) was a champion American Thoroughbred racehorse who is the eleventh winner of the American Triple Crown. Affirmed was well known for his famous rivalry with Alydar, whom he met ten times, includi ...
in the
Jockey Club Gold Cup
The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It has traditionally been the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the sp ...
. Affirmed's saddle had slipped, effectively taking him out of the race, and Seattle Slew had hung up almost suicidal fractions on the lead, but Exceller still powered through the
Belmont Park
Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse racing facility in the northeastern United States, located in Elmont, New York, just east of the New York City limits. It was opened on May 4, 1905.
It is operated by the non-profit New York Racin ...
mud to win by a nose.
Exceller came back again at age six and managed some placings, but was not quite the same horse.
In sum, he had won 15 of 33 starts, including 13 stakes races, and placed in 11 more in France, England, Canada, and the United States and had earned $1,654,003. He and
Noor were the only horses in history to defeat two U.S. Triple Crown winners, and Exceller was the only one to pull off this feat in a single race. Most racing writers agree that, along with
Gallant Man
Gallant Man (March 20, 1954 – September 7, 1988) was a thoroughbred racehorse, named for a horse in a Don Ameche movie. He was one of the most successful racehorses foaled outside the United States with his near miss in the 1957 Kentuck ...
and
Lure, he may have been the best horse to race in the United States and not win a year-end championship.
Exceller ran best, like many European horses, "covered up"—deep in the pack early. In the late stages of the race he produced a powerful burst of speed and caught the leaders in the stretch. His final quarter mile times are notable because he regularly sprinted this distance in under 25 seconds. His fractions of 23 2/5 seconds at the end of the
Hollywood Gold Cup
The Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes is a Grade I American thoroughbred horse race for horses age three and older over a distance of miles on the dirt held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California in May. The race currently offers a purse of $400,000. ...
and
Oak Tree Invitational is very fast, as 23 seconds is considered a quick first quarter in such a race.
Stud career
Exceller was syndicated and retired to stud at
Gainesway Farm in
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...
for the 1980 breeding season. He shared a small stallion barn with his sire
Vaguely Noble
Vaguely Noble (1965–1989) was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse who competed in the United Kingdom and France. The colt is best known as the winner of the 1968 Group One Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe when he defeated the best horses from Engla ...
and classic-winning champion stablemate,
Youth
Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood ( maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as being a young adult. You ...
. In 1986 (and probably before), he stood for a $50,000
stud fee
A stud animal is a registered animal retained for breeding. The terms for the male of a given animal species (stallion, bull, rooster, etc.) usually imply that the animal is intact—that is, not castrated—and therefore capable of siring offspr ...
, the second-highest listed fee at Gainesway at the time.
As time went on, however, it became obvious that Exceller was never going to be a leading sire. By 1991, his stud fee had plummeted to $2,500.
Death
In 1991, the syndicate was bought out by a breeder from Sweden and Exceller was shipped back across the Atlantic Ocean. He sired a few crops of foals, then was diagnosed with a mysterious infection that forced his removal from stud service for several years. When Exceller's owner went bankrupt, the horse was moved to a small farm where he remained for a year before owner Göte Östlund ordered him killed. He was taken to a
slaughterhouse
A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility.
Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...
and killed for meat.
Legacy
Exceller left behind 16 crops of foals in the United States, including 19
stakes winners and 40 stakes horses, none of them of his quality. His runners were headed by the fillies Slew's Exceller and Squan Song.
Exceller was elected to the
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame
The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred race horses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Av ...
in 1999. Although the museum's website mentions the manner of his death, his plaque in the museum does not, stating only that he died in 1997. His fate, essentially unheard of for an American stallion of his racing class, generated debate over the proper treatment of race horses after their careers on the track were over.
Today, a number of
grassroots organizations, such as
The Exceller Fund,
ReRun
A rerun or repeat is a rebroadcast of an episode of a radio or television program. There are two types of reruns – those that occur during a hiatus, and those that occur when a program is syndicated.
Variations
In the United Kingdom, the word ...
,
The Communication Alliance to Network Thoroughbred Ex-Racehorses (CANTER), and
Old Friends, among others, take inspiration from Exceller's story as they work to purchase and retrain former racehorses for new careers. In addition, had the horse been in the United States, he may well have been given a proper home at the
Kentucky Horse Park
Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm, international equestrian competition venue, and an educational theme park opened in 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky. It is located off Kentucky State Highway 1973 (Iron Works Pike) and Interstate 75, at Exi ...
's Hall of Champions in
Lexington as was done after the retired champion thoroughbred
Cigar
A cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaves made to be smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct components: the filler, the binder l ...
was found to be infertile at stud. Or, the owner might have been able to have handed him over to the
Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation
The Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF) is an American organization founded in 1982, whose mission is: "To save Thoroughbred horses no longer able to compete on the racetrack from possible neglect, abuse and slaughter."
History
Two years af ...
in
Shrewsbury, New Jersey
Shrewsbury is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Centrally located in the Jersey Shore region in the New York Metropolitan area, the borough is an historic bedroom commun ...
, the world's largest and most respected organization devoted to equine rescue.
Like Exceller,
Kentucky Derby
The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...
winner
Ferdinand
Ferdinand is a Germanic name composed of the elements "protection", "peace" (PIE "to love, to make peace") or alternatively "journey, travel", Proto-Germanic , abstract noun from root "to fare, travel" (PIE , "to lead, pass over"), and "co ...
ended up in a slaughterhouse in Japan in 2002.
In the
Blood-Horse magazine
''BloodHorse'' is a multimedia news organization covering Thoroughbred racing and breeding that started with a newsletter first published in 1916 as a monthly bulletin put out by the Thoroughbred Horse Association. ranking of the
top 100 U.S. thoroughbred champions of the 20th century, Exceller was ranked #96.
Pedigree
References
{{reflist
1973 racehorse births
1997 racehorse deaths
Racehorses bred in Kentucky
Racehorses trained in France
Racehorses trained in the United States
American Grade 1 Stakes winners
United States Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame inductees
Thoroughbred family 21-a