Acclamation Star shines brightest in Dick Poole at Salisbury

Acclamation Star produced a career-best performance to gamely land the IRE-Incentive, It Pays To Buy Irish Dick Poole Fillies’ Stakes at Salisbury.

Without a victory since winning at Bath on debut, James Owen’s juvenile was a 28-1 shot in the hands of Kieran Shoemark, who had no hesitation in striding on aboard the daughter of Acclamation.

Richard Hannon’s Dark Issue and Kevin Philippart De Foy’s Sweet Solera Stakes runner-up Nuit d’Eclair came to challenge inside the closing stages, but they had to settle for second and third place respectively as Acclamation Star proved too tough to pass, registering a half-length success.

Owen told Racing TV: “She hit the gates really well and the plan was to take a handy sit. She perhaps over raced a little bit early on, but as soon as she got daylight she settled lovely and Kieran rides great and knows this track better than we do. She toughed it out really well.

“I think these tactics will be used again in the future. She gets six furlongs and could go seven looking at her pedigree.

“It’s lovely to have a winner for the owner-breeder Peter Gleeson. When I was pre-training he was my landlord at my stables, which I rented off him before I managed to buy them. It’s lovely to repay him with a Group winner.

“She’s pretty smart and I always thought she would nick a bit of black type. The plan after this was to go to the Listed race at Newmarket. Whether we go there now with a penalty or look to go somewhere else, I’m not sure.

“She has a bit of size and scope and will train on next year as well, so there is no rush.”

On a fine afternoon for Shoemark, he also landed the British EBF Quidhampton Maiden Fillies’ Stakes aboard Roger Varian’s 11-10 favourite Miss Miniver, who built on her Kempton debut second to subsequent Prestige Stakes third Coaxed to shade a neck verdict over the John and Thady Gosden-trained Thi Qar.

Ralph Beckett and Rossa Ryan also teamed up to complete a double, with Rose Moon (5-2) making a successful start to her career in division two of the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Restricted Novice Stakes before stablemate Zen Diva made it four wins from her last five starts in the European Bloodstock News EBF ‘Lochsong’ Fillies’ Handicap.

Beckett enjoyed three winners in all, with Rock In Japan an 8-1 winner of division one of the one-mile novice event in the hands of Edward Greatrex.