Arqana RNA Xcellence to Frankel

ARQANA RNA XCELLENCE TO FRANKEL 
By Kelsey Riley 
Martin Schwartz’s Xcellence (Fr) (Champs Elysees {GB}), a €950,000 buyback from Arqana’s December Breeding Stock Sale Dec. 6, will be bred to Frankel next year, according to Michel Zerolo of Haras des Capucines, which consigned the 3-year-old in Deauville. 

“The three horses that were considered were Frankel, Galileo and Sea the Stars,” Zerolo said. “Galileo was maybe a little too expensive, and [Schwartz] felt Frankel was a good bet, and I can’t disagree with him. It’s always a little tricky to go there in the third year but at the same time you would expect his yearlings to sell well so that should carry us forward and help us sell her accordingly wherever she goes.” 

Xcellence made her first seven starts in France under the care of trainer Francois Doumen. She earned her first black-type victory when besting last year’s G1 Cheveley Park S. victress Vorda (Fr) (Orpen) in the G3 Prix Imprudence Apr. 3 and finished third in the G1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches for original owner and co-breeder Henri De Pracomtal May 11. She made her first start in the Schwartz silks when notching another Classic placing when third in the G1 Prix de Diane a month later. Expatriated to the U.S., Xcellence finished fourth in the GI Belmont Oaks in her Stateside debut July 5 for Doumen before transferring to Chad Brown. In two starts for Brown, Xcellence finished second in the GII Lake Placid S. and third in the GII Sands Point S. 

Schwartz plays the racing game chiefly as an owner, and thus he entered Xcellence in the Arqana sale alongside his GI Garden City S. winner Alterite (Fr) (Literato {Fr}), who sold for €1.1 million to Narvick International from the Capucines consignment. Zerolo could not confirm whether Xcellence would for sure be offered for sale after being covered by Frankel. 

“As everybody knows he’s not really a breeder, but sometimes the events are such that you don’t get the price you want for horses so you keep them and you end up breeding with them,” Zerolo said. “It has happened with [Schwartz] in a few cases. Does that mean he’s going to keep Xcellence? I personally doubt it, but you never know.”