ON Friday, the Cashman family signalled the end of an era at their Rathbarry Stud, with the announcement that stalwart stallion Acclamation will retire from covering duties at the age of 25.

Upon sharing the news, Paul Cashman commented: “Acclamation has been our flag bearer here at Rathbarry since 2004 and, with such a brilliant temperament, he has been a pleasure to deal with. His progeny came up trumps every year, both on the race track and in the sales ring, bringing good fortune to all his investors.

“We really regard him as one of the family, as does our stallion man, Clive Cox, who has done an amazing job caring for him. We hope he will have a long and healthy retirement here at the stud.”

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, 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.

Acclamation’s trademarks

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 his own 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,” he said after the Corduff Stud and Tim Rooney-bred globetrotter registered his eighth top-flight victory and 15th career win, bringing his earnings past the £15 million 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.

His biggest fan

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 was a challenging sales season.

Acclamation is a rare example of a sire who remained popular throughout his career, and was relatively affordable all the while, having started at €10,000, peaked at €40,000 and ended at €25,000. His ability to regularly sire talented offspring, that are sound of mind and limb, must be the reason that buyers return time and time again.

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 17 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.