2024 marked the end of an era at Rathbarry Stud, as Acclamation stood his 21st and final season.
2024 marked the end of an era at Rathbarry Stud, as Acclamation stood his 21st and final season.
The son of Royal Applause has exceeded expectations throughout his career, both as a racehorse and a sire. He was a Group 2 and Listed winner for Gerald Cottrell, but some could argue that his best performances came in defeat. At a price of 16/1, he separated Choisir and Oasis Dream in the King’s Stand Stakes, despite breaking slowly and being denied a clear run a furlong from home. He stumbled at the start in the 2003 Nunthorpe, yet managed to finish third to the front-running Oasis Dream.
Those performances make you wonder what could have been, if luck was on his side, especially considering the talent he passed on to his progeny. His success as a sire was instantaneous, being crowned Leading First Season Sire due to his first crop producing Group 1 winners Dark Angel and Equiano, both of whom went on to sire top-flight winners themselves, the former set to be crowned champion sire for the 2024 season.
Ability, soundness and a will to win have seen Acclamation’s progeny deliver time and time again, their long and fruitful careers echoing that of himself at stud. Of stallions who continue to cover at the age of 25, how many will be responsible for two Group 1 winners that same year?
On that note, James McDonald provided the perfect line after partnering Romantic Warrior to his fifth consecutive Group/Grade 1 win in the Yasuda Kinen. “He’s got a heart of a lion and tremendous ability,” the jockey said after Danny Chum’s star registered his eight top-flight victory and 15th career win, bringing his earnings past the £15million mark.
Makarova is the most recent of Acclamation’s Group 1 winners, the five-year-old having gained a deserved Group 1 win on her final career start in the Prix de l’Abbaye. She is likely not the last, either, if Acclamation’s latest juvenile crop is anything to go by.
His two-year-olds include Queen Mary Stakes third Maw Lam, Stakes performer Assertively, Goffs 500 runner-up Mollie Foster and the 96-rated Last Encore. The future also looks bright for Angel Hunter, with Richard Hannon having described the 90-rated colt as “a horse for next year” following his win in a valuable race at York.
Hannon, of course, is no stranger to success with Acclamation, and he chose one of Acclamation’s sons as his favourite horse when interviewed by the Racing Post earlier this year. Overlooking his Group 1 winners, the trainer selected Oh This Is Us, saying: “He had the heart of a lion, loads of ability and was a pleasure to have anything to do with. Without a shadow of doubt he’s my favourite horse and always will be.” Hannon didn’t even allow Oh This Is Us to leave his yard, retiring the now 11-year-old free of charge, following a career of 17 wins and over £700,000 in earnings.
Hannon isn’t Acclamation’s only fan, understandably, as was evident at the 2024 yearling sales. His latest offerings sold for up to 500,000gns, €600,000, and 470,000gns, their popularity producing a clearance rate of 90% during what has been a challenging sales season.
Even after his final crops have run their last race, Acclamation’s legacy is ensured by his sons and daughters at stud. Dark Angel and Mehmas are his current leading lights of the stallion ranks, while his daughters have produced two Group 1 winners, another six Group 1 placed horses and 18 successful at Group 2 and 3 level.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines acclamation as ‘public approval and praise,’ an appropriate name for a stallion who has provided good fortune to many a breeder, owner, trader and trainer.
French jumps stallion Jeu St Eloi (Saint Des Saints)
RATHBARRY & GLENVIEW Studs are pleased to announce the acquisition of the exciting French jumps stallion Jeu St Eloi (Saint Des Saints) for stallion duties next season.
The deal brokered by Paul Harley Bloodstock Ltd. and Nicolas Bertran de Balanda of NBB Racing, sees Jeu St Eloi move from Haras de Cercy to County Cork where he will stand alongside the Cashman’s top NH stallions, Blue Bresil, Eagles By Day, Old Persian, Shirocco and Youmzain.
The 12-year-old sire has been responsible for producing a number of eye-catching bumper, novice hurdle and point to point winners on both sides of the Channel.
Jeu St Eloi first came to prominence in Ireland last January when the Willie Mullins-trained It’s For Me won a Navan bumper by 10 lengths and was installed as favourite for the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham. Five days later another of his sons, D Art D Art, won a bumper for trainer Tom Cooper.
A month later, Paul Nicholls saddled Inthewaterside to win a second bumper and that horse remained undefeated when winning over hurdles at Aintree last Sunday. Just last Saturday at Cheltenham, Jeu St Eloi’s son Blueking D’Oroux won for the Nicholls stable at Cheltenham and could be aimed at the Greatwood Hurdle later this month.
To top off the weekend, Warren Ewing won a point-to-point at Tattersalls last Sunday with a four-year-old by the sire named Saint Kristobal, who he described as “a little bit special”.
Meanwhile, Willie Mullins has imported the sire’s Grade 3 hurdle winner Kargese who, the trainer says, will be aimed at the Triumph Hurdle.
This imposing 16.3 hands sire is a half-brother to the dual Grade 1 winning chaser, Oculi (Denham Red), and has the sire Balko (Pistolet Bleu) under his second dam.
Commenting on the acquisition Paul Cashman said “We are delighted to stand such an exciting young NH sire. He has had great success in his brief career to date and he offers NH breeders a complete outcross to existing bloodlines”.
The 2024 fee for Jeu St Eloi will be announced in due course.
SHIROCCO CROWNED LEADING IRISH POINT-TO-POINT SIRE
Shirocco Shirocco has been crowned leading sire of the 2021/2022 Irish point-to-point season, with an impressive 25 wins to his name. He finished three wins clear of his nearest rivals and is one of just two active sires in the top five table.
Shirocco has risen through the stallion ranks since his first Glenview-conceived crops hit the track, bred off the back of Annie Power, et al. Seven of his point-to-point graduates sold for six-figure sums since December 2021, with Ross O’Sullivan’s mare Alfie’s Princess commanding the highest price of £220,000. Other notable results include £180,000 for Mary Doyle’s debut victor Off To A Flyer and £175,000 for Aidan Fitzgerald’s 14 length winner Queens Vic.
Shirocco’s former studmate Presenting also continues to make his presence felt and earned the leading broodmare sire title by a wide margin. His daughters produced the winners of an incredible 45 races- almost double the number of his nearest rival at 23. The late Glenview Stud resident also finished fourth in the leading sires table with 19 winners.
RATHBARRY STUD ANNOUNCE ACQUISITION OF STATE OF REST
Rathbarry Stud, in conjunction with Newgate Farm Australia & Partners, are delighted to announce the acquisition of Sunday’s impressive Group 1 Prix Ganay winner STATE OF REST.
“We are delighted to have purchased such an elite and unique international racehorse to join our stallion roster when he completes his racing career,” said Rathbarry Stud’s Paul Cashman.
A debut winner as a two-year-old over six furlongs, and placed in the Group 2 Champagne Stakes, STATE OF REST has gone on to win three Group 1 races across three continents in his last three starts, including the prestigious Group 1 Cox Plate in Australia and Group 1 Saratoga Derby in the USA.
This extremely talented young horse is trained by Joseph O’Brien, who has several Group 1 targets in mind for STATE OF REST for the remainder of the season before retiring to stud.
EAGLES BY DAY JOINS GLENVIEW STUD ROSTER
Rathbarry & Glenview Studs are delighted to announce the acquisition of exciting new stallion prospect EAGLES BY DAY (IRE) from Clipper Logistics in a deal brokered by Joe Foley.
EAGLES BY DAY will join the existing national hunt roster of BLUE BRESIL, MALINAS, OLD PERSIAN, SHIROCCO, SHOLOKHOV and YOUMZAIN at Glenview Stud for 2022.
EAGLES BY DAY is a Group 3 winning, and Group 1 and 2 placed son of established super sire Sea The Stars, whose sons Affinisea and Crystal Ocean have recently proved popular with national hunt breeders.
His dam Missunited was an exceptional race mare, having won 12 races under both codes, including the Group 3 Lillie Langtry Stakes at Goodwood and the valuable Guinness Galway Handicap Hurdle. She also boasts six black type placings to her name, including a narrow defeat in the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup and a fine third in the Group 1 Prix Royal Oak.
“EAGLES BY DAY is an outstanding individual with plenty of size and substance. I’m confident he will prove a great attraction for Irish breeders,” said Paul Cashman of Rathbarry and Glenview Studs.
DUAL GROUP 1 WINNER OLD PERSION JOINS GLENVIEW ROSTER
Rathbarry and Glenview Studs are delighted to announce the acquisition of an exciting new stallion prospect, dual Group/Grade 1 winner OLD PERSIAN, from Godolphin in a deal brokered by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock.
OLD PERSIAN will join the existing National Hunt Roster of: BLUE BRESIL, MALINAS, SHIROCCO, SHOLOKHOV and YOUMZAIN at Glenview Stud for 2021.
The son of Dubawi won twice as a two-year-old before winning four races at three years, including the Group 2 King Edward VII Stakes and Group 2 Voltigeur Stakes. He proved to be better again at four years, winning the Group 1 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes, Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic and Group 2 Dubai City of Gold Stakes, bringing his earnings to just under €4 million.
OLD PERSIAN is by Champion Sire Dubawi, out of a full sister to Group 2 winner Silkwood, and is from the immediate family of successful sire Kingmambo.
“OLD PERSIAN is an outstanding looking individual with plenty of size & substance and will be an exciting prospect for N.H. Breeders” said Paul Cashman of Rathbarry and Glenview Studs.
