Excellantes Continues QTIS Love Affair

Excellantes continued his love affair with the lucrative QTIS scheme with a commanding victory in the Jim Beam Handicap at Doomben on Saturday.

The rising four-year-old has won three previous QTIS races and made it four by downing Startsmeup by 1-1/4 lengths in the 1110-metre dash.

The Ringmaster was a further long head away third.

"I love the QTIS racing," Heathcote said.

"It's fantastic and it's why I got started in training all those years ago.

"There's 230,000 reasons why I love it."

Excellantes, a son of former dual G1 winner Falvelon, has won $231,050 in prizemoney in his career, mostly through the QTIS scheme.

Heathcote, who landed a treble at Doomben, has ruled out adding Excellantes to his Melbourne spring carnival team.

"There's a good race in him down south somewhere but time may have caught up with him this campaign and next year might be his chance," Heathcote said.

Heathcote only returned from an overseas holiday last Sunday and was quick to praise his staff for keeping the winners ticking over in his absence.

"Winning is a nice habit but what a welcome back and a lot of credit goes to my staff," he said.

Jockey Damian Browne backed up Heathcote's opinion of Excellantes who took his record to five wins from 10 starts.

"He seems to be improving the more he gets into his preparation," Browne said.

"He's turned into a really nice horse and seems to have taken the next step.

"I think there's a good race in him somewhere but it's a matter of when.

"It might be sooner than you think."

Heathcote praised Browne for his patience when he had Excellantes travelling well in midfield.

"Damian's middle name is confidence, that's why I like him," Heathcote said.

 
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Photo: Graham Potter