Best Horse Not to Win a Championship Series: Exceller

Best Horses Not to Win a Championship Series
Number 2: Exceller

Joseph Di Rienzi

This is the next installment of the occasional series that features those somewhat forgotten thoroughbreds who did not win any championship but ran exceptionally well and under different circumstances might have garnered awards. This edition focuses on Exceller, an internationally raced star, who has the singular achievement of defeating two Triple Crown winners in the same race. His shocking death through callous human disregard has helped inspire a movement to rescue retired thoroughbred racehorses.

Exceller
(Courtesy of The Exceller Fund)

Foaled in Kentucky in 1973, Exceller was sold as a yearling for $25,000 to prominent owner Nelson Bunker Hunt. Being a son of the stout European superstar Vaguely Noble and out of the mare Too Bald (she by noted grass performer Bald Eagle), Exceller was sent to France to join Hunt’s European division. From a modest campaign in 1975 as a juvenile, Exceller came to the fore as a three-year-old winning the almost 2 mile Grand Prix de Paris and the 1 7/8 mile Prix de Royal-Oak (the French St. Leger Stakes).

In Exceller’s four-year-old season, he ran against the best in England and France winning the Coronation Cup and the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud. He concluded his European racing career with a third place finish in the King George and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot Racecourse. Sent to race in the U. S. in the fall of 1977, Exceller competed in the top grass races. In the 1½ mile  Man o’War Stakes at Belmont Park, he was unable to withstand the closing kick of Ogden Mills Phipps’ Majestic Light who won by 4½ lengths. Exceller, who had to check briefly entering the stretch, gained second by a nose over Johnny D.  Finishing fourth was William Haggin Perry’s Tiller, ¾ of a length behind Johnny D. (Both Majestic Light and Tiller have been previously featured in the “Best Horses Not to Win a Championship Series”.) The first three finishers in the Man o’War Stakes all traveled to Toronto for the Canadian International Championship Stakes contested at 13 furlongs on a very soft turf course. This time it was Exceller who would make the final rally and overtake Majestic Light to win by a length. Finishing third again, 3½ lengths behind, was Johnny D. 

The Washington D. C. International was the next race to bring this trio together, and again a rain soaked turf course awaited them at Laurel Racetrack. Teenage jockey sensation Steve Cauthen on Johnny D. put his three-year-old gelding near the lead as the pace was lethargic, and when called upon, he drew out to a lengthy lead as the field approached the stretch. Majestic Light closed some ground, but at the end, he was 2½ lengths away from the winner. Fourteen lengths further behind came Exceller who failed to accelerate under the turf conditions. The final race in this informal series was the inaugural 1½ mile Turf Classic Invitational at Aqueduct Racetrack. Again running on a soft turf course, Johnny D. fought off an early challenge by Exceller and a later bid by Majestic Light to draw out to a 3¾ length win. Majestic Light finished second, and Exceller was a spent seventh. This result clinched for Johnny D the Eclipse Award for Male Turf Champion.   

Exceller was subsequently shipped to California, turned over to master trainer Charlie Whittingham and had a history making campaign in 1978. Primarily ridden by Bill Shoemaker, Exceller started his year at Santa Anita Park with a confident win in the rained off the grass course Arcadia Handicap at a 1¼ mile. This newly discovered dirt form would pay dividends later in the year. Back on the turf in the 1½ mile San Luis Rey Stakes, Exceller faced East Coast invader Noble Dancer II, who though bred in England and raced in Norway, was coming into the race off a successful early Florida campaign. In the San Luis Rey, Noble Dancer took the lead early and fought off challenges from Crystal Water, Properantes and Text. Exceller was closing along the rail, but at a crucial point his progress was stopped. At the finish it was Noble Dancer by a neck over Properantes who had ¾ of a length on Text who, in turn, out finished Exceller for third by a head. In the 1¾ mile San Juan Capistrano Handicap, Exceller (under 126 lb.) (now owned jointly by Hunt and Dr. Herbert Schnapka) in an exciting stretch duel on the soft Santa Anita turf defeated long time pacesetter Noble Dancer (125 lb.) by a neck.

The Hollywood Invitational Turf Handicap in late May attracted a strong field with Exceller (127 lb.), Noble Dancer (126 lb.), Bowl Game (123 lb.), Effervescing (120 lb.) and Text (119 lb.) among those entered. Despite coming off a fifth place finish in the Century Handicap, Exceller was installed the betting favorite. In one of his best performances, he swept by Noble Dancer in mid-stretch and easily held off Bowl Game’s late rally to win by 2½ lengths.

Whittingham next sent Exceller onto the dirt in the Hollywood Gold Cup where he would be facing Vigors who was dubbed “The White Tornado” for his sensational off the pace rallies in the major dirt races at Santa Anita. The Gold Cup brought together all the prominent older horses on the West Coast still in training. In the entries were Vigors (129 lb.), Exceller (128 lb.), J. O. Tobin (128 lb.), Text (118 lb.) and Mr. Redoy (116 lb.). In the race, J. O. Tobin was very headstrong, and his erratic running contributed to the final outcome. Steve Cauthen was unable to control the speedster at the start as he ran into Mr. Redoy while assuming a commanding lead and setting way too fast early fractions. Vigors and Exceller both launched their rallies well back in the field. They both started closing the gap around the far turn as Text was getting to J. O. Tobin. Tiring noticeably, J. O. Tobin bore out significantly in the stretch carrying Vigors wide and impeding his progress. While this was happening, Bill Shoemaker on Exceller drove through on the rail catching Text to win by a neck. Vigors, who should probably have won, finished third, just a head behind Text. Four lengths back was J. O. Tobin in fourth place. Putting an exclamation point to his Hollywood Park campaign, Exceller under 130 lb. made the Sunset Handicap (over grass) his third straight major victory.

Exceller was given a respite until the early fall when he was sent east to Belmont Park for the 1¼ mile Woodward Stakes. In this traditional championship contest, the west coast invader was facing Seattle Slew who had just returned to his 1977 Triple Crown form defeating the current year’s Triple Crown hero Affirmed in the Marlboro Cup Handicap. Seattle Slew was the prohibitive favorite in the five horse Woodward field, but, in Exceller, he faced a worthy competitor. However, the absence of pace pressure, allowed Seattle Slew to cruise on the lead early. Shoemaker on Exceller made an early move to press after a ¼ mile, but Angel Cordero Jr. let “Slew” spurt ahead by open lengths which he maintained setting faster fractions. Around the turn, Exceller tried to challenge again, but Seattle Slew was urged on and at the finish was 4 lengths ahead. Exceller, in a strong effort considering he was racing out of his usual come from behind style, was nearly 7 lengths in front of It’s Freezing. The time was a new track record for the race which was now started on the far turn at Belmont.

Two weeks later, the Jockey Club Gold Cup at 1½ miles brought together again Affirmed and Seattle Slew. In addition, Exceller, a previous Gold Cup winner in Great Contractor and two others were in the field. This was truly “a race for the ages”, that no short synopsis could do it justice. Affirmed’s trainer Laz Barrera entered a “rabbit”, Life’s Hope, to run with Seattle Slew early trying to prevent what happened in both the Marlboro and Woodward. However, nobody told Life’s Hope’s stablemate Affirmed not to be competitive. On a sloppy racetrack, Seattle Slew, Affirmed and Life’s Hope all went charging for the lead. Setting unreasonably fast fractions, the trio blazed down the backstretch. Life’s Hope was the first to drop back, and then soon after Affirmed lost contact with Seattle Slew due to Cauthen’s saddle slipping under the rider. While this drama was happening on the front end, Exceller some 20 lengths away was getting the fast pace he needed for his explosive charge. He closed spectacularly around the sweeping final turn along the inside to stick his head in front of Seattle Slew as they headed into the stretch. But, Seattle Slew, displaying the courage and determination which only the greatest thoroughbreds have, fought back, and the two horses battled tenaciously to the finish. Exceller’s nose reached the wire first. Some 14½ lengths back came Great Contractor, and Affirmed, who lost all chance with the equipment malfunction, finished fifth in the only out of the money performance in his storied career. 

Exceller (on the right) winning the 1978 Jockey Club Gold Cup
(NYRA by Bob Coglianese)

In the aftermath of these races at Belmont Park, championship awards were hotly debated. Affirmed was clearly the three-year-old champion, but was he horse of the year after losing these contests? In the older horse division, Seattle Slew and Exceller exchanged victories in the Woodward and Jockey Club Gold Cup, respectively, so who should be given the title?  Affirmed did not race the rest of year, but Seattle Slew, in a race to burnish his championship credentials, won the Stuyvesant Handicap at Aqueduct carrying 134 lb. against token opposition. Exceller capped off his year with a return to turf victory in the Oak Tree Invitational Stakes at Santa Anita.

Despite his overall record in 1978 and unique achievement of defeating two Triple Crown winners, the son of Vaguely Noble was shut out of all awards. The grass title went to the sophomore Mac Diarmida who won two of the top fall turf races. Seattle Slew was Champion Older Male, and Affirmed gained Horse of the Year honors.

Exceller had an abbreviated campaign as a six-year-old in 1979. Whittingham brought Exceller up to the Santa Anita Handicap relying on workouts alone. In the Big Cap was a rejuvenated Affirmed top weighted at 128 lb. Tiller, who had shown a recent affinity for dirt races, was weighted equally with Exceller, a lb. less than the Triple Crown winner. As Tiller and Exceller were committed closers, Affirmed used his natural speed to advantage sitting right off the pace of Painted Wagon until the stretch and cruising to a 4½ length victory margin, setting a new 1¼ mile track record. Tiller closing ground, finished second, 3 lengths ahead of the dead-heated Painted Wagon and Exceller.

In the marathon turf races during the Santa Anita winter meet, Noble Dancer again flew in from Florida to repeat in the San Luis Rey Stakes. In the 1½ mile rain soaked course, he resisted Tiller’s closing kick by 2½ lengths with Good Lord, third 4 lengths further behind. Exceller, who was not able to handle the soft turf, finished sixth. In a vintage renewal of the San Juan Capistrano Handicap, three top grass horses - Noble Dancer (128 lb.), Exceller (127 lb.) and Tiller (126 lb.) along with eight others entered the starting gate. After long time pacesetter Good Lord faded in the homestretch, Exceller burst through the inside for a clear lead and an apparent victory. However, Tiller coming with a tremendous surge, went right past Exceller to win by ¾ of a length. Noble Dancer finished third, an identical margin further back, and Good Lord was in fourth place.

Exceller made what would be his final career start in the Century Handicap at Hollywood Park. Taking a few bad steps near the top of the stretch, he suffered a small fracture of his coffin bone while still managing to finish third. Efforts to bring him back to racing were unsuccessful, and Exceller was retired to Gainesway Farm in Lexington, KY to join his illustrious stallion Vaguely Noble. However, after a lackluster stud career, he was sold to a horse farm in Sweden in 1991.

Events spiraled downward when an illness reduced Scandinavian breeders’ interest in Exceller. His Swedish owner, Göte Östlund, desperate for funds, sold him to a slaughterhouse where he reportedly was killed in 1997. Exceller’s demise as well as the death of Kentucky Derby winner Ferdinand, in similar circumstances in Japan in 2002, motivated the formation of non-profit groups to provide care and retraining for thoroughbreds who no longer can race or breed. (The Exceller Fund is such an organization.) In most sales of high profile racehorses to stud farms out of this country, there is now stipulation that when the particular horse is no longer a viable breeding animal, he is to be repatriated to the U. S. to one of these “thoroughbred retirement” communities.

In all, Exceller’s racing career reads 15 wins and 11 placings in 33 starts with major stakes victories in France, England, Canada and the U. S. His achievements (especially his joint conquest of Affirmed and Seattle Slew) and the rescue movement he inspired of post retirement care have earned him a special place in history of the thoroughbred.