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It's certain Darley will have a space booked on its 2020 roster for current 3YO star Bivouac, and not just because he is the latest Godolphin colt to post a Group One win.

Bivouac is by Exceed And Excel, a sire that means just as much to Darley as the late Redoute's Choice was to Arrowfield and More Than Ready has been to Vinery.

The former Champion Australian Sire (2012/13) is now a 19-year-old but his influence is as strong as ever - except in one important department from a Darley standpoint

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While Exceed And Excel stands beside Lonhro – he's now 21 – as Darley's most influential sire, Sheikh Mohammed's breeding arm is thin on the ground for sons of Exceed And Excel on its own roster.

There are none of his sons residing at the Darley farms in NSW and Victoria this spring. The only connection Darley holds with a sire son of Exceed And Excel is through Sidestep, his Group 2 winner standing at Telemon Thoroughbreds in Queensland under a lease arrangement.

But that is certainly on the cusp of change as Darley is well placed to add at least two outstanding colts by Exceed And Excel to its roster in 2020 with Bivouac and his Godolphin stablemate Microphone among the very best of the current 3YO crop.

Exceed And Excel's other current 3YOs also include two other highly rated prospects in the untapped talent Exceedance, the Hawkes-trained winner of the G3 San Domenico Stakes and placed behind Bivouac in last Saturday's Golden Rose, and the Gerald Ryan-trained Standout, winner of the Listed Heritage Stakes on the same program.

The Golden Rose, first run in 2003, is now firmly established as a stallion making race, with Darley/Godolphin playing a big part in its short but prestigious history.

Godolphin and Darley runners have won the race five times since 2009 with homebred colts Astern (Medgalia D'Oro), Exosphere (Lonhro), Epaulette (Commands), Denman (Lonhro) and Bivouac.

Astern, Exopshere and Epaulette have been standing under the Darley banner since they went to stud while Denman has moved on and now resides at Twin Hills Stud in NSW.

It is now a given that a stud career awaits any colt that wins the Golden Rose. Other winners to go to stud have been Duporth, Toorak Toff, Hallowed Crown, Zoustar, Trapeze Artist and The Autumn Sun.

The bonus for Darley is that Exceed And Excel's sons can extend the influence of the coveted Danehill bloodline through their broodmares.

"As strong and as influential as Danehill has been we have been missing out on that a little bit in the past couple of years. We need a bit more of that tremendous sireline to go forward with," said Darley's Alistair Pulford.

"To have a son of Exceed And Excel win the Golden Rose is great. It balances out our roster very nicely.

"Exceed And Excel is having a wonderful year. This crop of three-year-olds is probably his best for some time."

"Bivouac and Microphone head the group but there is a great cast behind them - there is great depth to that crop."

Microphone, the top rating TImeform juvenile colt from last season, is yet to race as a 3YO but is close to resuming and may well meet up with Bivouac later in the spring in Melbourne in the G1 Coolmore Stud Stakes at Flemington – another respected platform for potential sires.

Bivouac's (Exceed And Excel x Dazzler by More Than Ready) is the 13th individual G1 winner among 163 stakes winners by Exceed And Excel, who is now credited with 2000 individual winners since he went to stud in 2004 and started his on-going shuttle career to the UK and Ireland a year later.

Bivouac has won five of his nine career starts for prize-money of $1,092,000, helping Exceed And Excel push up the general sires ladder to fourth place in a tight race behind I Am Invincible, Pierro and Not A Single Doubt with just $300,000 in earnings separating the quartet.

He also has placed Exceed And Excel in the equal lead with Pierro for stakes winners this season, each being represented by four individual black type victors. However Exceed And Excel's batch have won six stakes races to Pierro's four.

Bivouac is a three-quarter brother to Darley's four-time G1 winner Guelph (Exceed And Excel) from the More Than Ready mare Dazzler.

Guelph is the dam of Lonhro's G2 winner Encryption, who is standing his first season at stud in Queensland.

 A two-time winner, Dazzler is a half-sister to Guelph and the G2 winner and sire Ghibellines from the G1 AJC Sires' Produce Stakes winner Camarilla (Elusive Quality).

Camarilla, a daughter of the G1 Queensland Derby winner Camarena, had four foals before her tragic death in 2012. Camarena's dam was a half-sister to G1 winners Canny Lad and Canny Lass.

Dazzler is also the dam of the G2 and G3 placed multiple city winner Coruscate (Exceed And Excel) and has a yearling filly by Medaglia D'Oro and produced a Lonhro colt last month. She is going back to Exceed And Excel this spring.

Standout (Exeed And Excel x Bahia by Snippets) is raced by his breeders Corumbene Stud and is another valuable stud prospect as he is a sibling to five winners including G1 Golden Slipper Stakes winner Overreach.

His dam Bahia is also a half-sister to G1 Blue Diamond Stakes winner and sire Reward For Effort, one of Exceed And Excel's 13 G1 winners.

Bahia, retired unbeaten after four stars, is also the dam of Outreach who raced once when runner-up to subsequent Golden Slipper winner Vancouver in the G3 Canonbury Stakes and is now at stud.

Bahia had a colt foal by Exceed And Excel in 2018.