Excelebration presented Darley shuttler Exceed and Excel with his first European classic winner in the G2 German 2000 Guineas on Sunday.

The Marco Botti trained colt is the latest three year-old to frank the form of Frankel having got to within four lengths of the Juddmonte star in the G3 Greenham Stakes at Newbury on April 16.

Excelebration (3c Exceed and Excel – Sun Shower by Indian Ridge) made a mockery of the home defence when he cleared out to a seven length victory over Gereon (Next Desert) and Acadius (Lord of England) in Cologne.  “We still don’t know where he really stands but he ran a blinder here,” Botti said.  “We might take on Frankel again in the St James’s Palace Stakes.”

Bred at Owenstown Stud, the winner was a 20,000 pounds buy for Giuliano Manfredini at the 2009 Doncaster August yearling sale.  His dam retired a maiden after six starts while second dam Miss Kemble (Warning) is a half-sister to G1 Irish Oaks winner Princess Pati (Top Ville).

Excelebration won at Doncaster and Newmarket last summer and was sidelined for nine months before striking Frankel first-up.  He is the third Group winner among Exceed And Excel’s current crop of European bred three year-olds following Electric Waves (G3 Ascot Cornwallis Stakes) and Klammer (G3 Newbury Horris Hill Stakes).

Exceed and Excel is just finishing his sixth season shuttling to Darley’s Dalham Hall Stud.  He stands at the Newmarket nursery for a 12,000 pounds service fee.