Excellent start for Coolmore shuttler

Excellent Art sired his first winner at Tipperary on Thursday.  The Coolmore shuttler got off the mark with Boris Grigoriev in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden (1000m).

Boris Grigoriev (2c Excellent Art – Strategy by Machiavellian) is trained by Aidan O’Brien and was a 130,000 guineas buy at the 2010 Tattersalls October yearling sale.  He had been runner-up to Tough As Nails (Dark Angel) on debut at Tipperary on April 14.

Bred by Lynch Bages Ltd, he is a half-brother to Gulfstream Park G3 winner Justaroundmidnight (Danehill Dancer).

Excellent Art’s first southern yearlings were popular at the 2011 majors.  Tony Bott paid $280,000 for his half-brother to G1 winner Douro Valley (Encosta de Lago) at the Inglis Easter yearling sale.

NZ Bloodstock’s Select Sale was highlighted by a $250,000 Excellent Art colt.  Offered by Pencarrow Stud, the colt from Sadler’s Wells mare Magical Moment was secured by Coolmore Stud’s Tom Magnier.  He is a half-brother to G1 Rich Hill Mile winner Fears Nothing (Faltaat).

Les Bridge purchased the top-priced Excellent Art at the Inglis Classic Sale when he paid $120,000 for the filly from Starry Way.  

The top-priced Excellent Art on the Gold Coast was the colt out of Miss Apps (Marauding) that made $74,000 to the bid of Hong Kong buyer Dennis Loh.  She was sold by Eliza Park and is from a three-quarter sister to the dam of G1 winning filly Melito.

Excellent Art (Pivotal) was a G1 winner of the St James Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and he stood the 2010 Australian season at Coolmore for a fee of $11,000.