Swettenham’s Acclamation For European Sire’s 2011 Record

17-11-2011

DOUBLING, and more, of the size of the books supplied to top rank sires this century has had a big impact on the annual talies of winners credited to leading juvenile sires in Europe.This is shown by perusal of the statistics of the leaders for European racing in 2011 through to early November, the twilight of the year’s juvenile racing.

Ten of the eleven most successful on juvenile earnings each have 20 or more winners and the top two, Acclamation (a son of the Try My Best grandson Royal Applause at Rathbarry, Ireland) with 35 winners of 53 races and Holy Roman Emperor (Coolmore Ireland Danehill sire) with 32 winners of 43 races, each surpassed the 30 mark.

At the cut off date mentioned, Holy Roman Emperor, a sire who visited Coolmore, Hunter Valley 2007-10, looking after books of 131, 180, 107 and 111, and who had his second Ireland crop racing this year, narrowly led Acclamation on juvenile earnings, but trailed by winners, wins and stakes performers. Acclamation is way out in front of his rivals by quality juvenile performers, wracking up an impressive score of eight winners of ten stakes races plus three others stakes placed.

Very few sires enjoy so much juvenile black type in the one year and the achievement adds to the indication this former good European 2-year-old and tough sprinter from the same branch of the Northern Dancer male line as Last Tycoon and out of one of the best race fillies by Ahonoora gave with his first crop runners in 2007 that he would be a leading source of talented early maturers.

He kicked off with 27 2-year-old winners of 46 races, including four each stakes winners and stakes placegetters and in the process captured the titles of Champion Great Britain – Ireland Juvenile Sire and Leading European First Crop Sire.

Acclamation has gone on to prove not only a top notch source of juveniles, but also a good one for older performers. All his runners in 2011 have resulted in 81 winners of 120 races, 50 others placed and earners of about Aust$2million.

His first crop included two top colts who won Group1 races at sprint distances, Dark Angel, a booming 2011 first season sire standing in Ireland, and Equiano, a modern history making English sprinter who went to stud in England and Australia this year, shuttling to Adam Sangster’s burgeoning Swettenham stud at Nagambie in Victoria.

The prospects of Equiano becoming a quality sire who can be a source of brilliant Australian performers and Acclamation an eminent sire of sires has been boosted by the immediate success of Dark Angel.Through to early November, this son of Acclamation and unraced Midnight Angel, a daughter of the Mr. Prospector sire  Machiavellian, had been represented by 26 winners and 21 others placed, suggesting he was a big chip off the old block.

Dark Angel raced only at two winning four races in England including the historic Newmarket Middle Park Stakes-Gr.1 and the Newbury Mill Reef Stakes-Gr.2. His immediate sire success has seen his fee nearly doubled for the 2012 season, one in which Acclamation has been lifted from15,000 to 35,000 Euros, about $50,000 Australian.

The respect for Acclamation has also been demonstrated in recent weeks by the demand for his yearlings at sales. At the October sales in England they averaged 82,000 guineas and one went to astute Demi O’Brien (Coolmore) for 370,000 guineas, approximately $600,000.

To date the best racehorse by Acclamation has been his first crop son Equiano, one who earned the approbation of ‘King of Speed’ and the comment in England’s Racing Post that ‘he blitzed the fastest animals from both sides of the globe.’ He won seven races, two at two, but more significantly became only the second performer in75 years to take out the King’s Stand Stakes-Gr.1 at Royal Ascot twice, in one of them beating Take Over Target. He was a neck second to Starspanglebanner in the Newmarket July Cup-Gr.1.

Equiano (2011 fee $16,500 – less on stud’s early bird incentive) has had a high quality book of mares at  Swettenham this season, including daughters of Danehill, Snippets, Rory’s Jester, Storm Cat, Dehere, Commands, Last Tycoon, Royal Academy, Redoute’s Choice, Encosta de Lago and Scenic.

He is one of two Royal Ascot sprint heroes among the eight sires in use at Swettenham this year. Scheduled to be represented by first crop 2-year-old runners during 2011-12, the other is full time resident Soldier’s Tale (by Nureyev’s most brilliant son Stravinsky), another horse to roll Takeover Target at Royal Ascot, beating the iron constitutioned Aussie in the 2007 edition of the Golden Jubilee.

Equiano flies back to England at the end of December for his second northern hemisphere season, but can be viewed at Swettenham before hand, along with their other sires.

Courtesy of Brian Russell Bloodstock Media Services