Acclamation's juvenile expertise sees Eye slam Vintage Stakes rivals

Expert Eye dispensed of his rivals with the minimum of fuss in the Group 2 Vintage Stakes at Goodwood on Tuesday. In the process he put in a strong claim for the best two-year-old performance of the season and rocketed to the head of next seasons 2000 Guineas betting.

The son of Acclamation was always travelling with panache for Andrea Atzeni and he powered away from languishing rivals to win by four-and-a-half lengths. The January 31 foal took a marked step forward from his mid-June debut, when he was an impressive winner of a Newbury novice event.

The Sir Michael Stoute-trained juvenile is the second foal out of Exemplify, a winner on debut at Deauville as a two-year-old. Though unable to live up to her early promise in three subsequent starts, she joined the Juddmonte broodmare band after retiring from racing in 2011.

As a half-sister to dual 1,000 Guineas winner and the European champion two-year-old filly of 2009 - Special Duty - her place at stud was always assured. She descends from the Listed winner Viviana, herself the dam of multiple US Grade 1 winners Sightseek and Tates Creek.

Expert Eye - Ryan Moore wins at Newbury in June.Credit: Mark Cranham

At stud Exemplify has produced one other runner - Divisionist - a colt by Oasis Dream that placed twice for the same connections. The mare also has a yearling filly by Kingman.

Expert Eye is the first juvenile stakes performer of the season for his sire Acclamation. He joins Dark Angel, Lilbourne Lad, Memhas and Harbour Watch on the roll call of 18 stakes winning two-year-olds for the son of Royal Applause.

The colt also adds to the reputation of his dam sire, Dansili. The Banstead Manor stallion is operating at a highly respectable stakes-winners to runner ratio of 12 per cent through his daughters, with Nezwaah, Chicquta, Astaire and Time Test the most notable of these performers.

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