Acclamation's Expert Eye Takes Apart the Jersey Field

Expert Eye | Racing Post

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So soon after Sir Michael Stoute made the Royal Ascot record his own, there was more glory in store for the Freemason Lodge handler as Khalid Abdullah's aptly-named Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) bounced back to his brilliant best in the G3 Jersey S. Only 10th in the G1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket May 5, last year's impressive G2 Vintage S. scorer needed a revival and that came in the able hands of James McDonald as he registered a first Royal winner with all the skill that had made him hot property before his ban. Held up towards the rear as Ryan Moore set off fast on Uncle Mo's half-sister Could It Be Love (War Front), the 8-1 shot was allowed to creep his way into contention before the quarter pole and when he reached that marker he still had five lengths to make up on the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas runner-up. Doing so in a furlong, the homebred stayed on strongly out on his own to score by 4 1/2 lengths from Society Power (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}), who edged Could It Be Love for second by a neck. “He felt like a rocket ship there,” McDonald said. “He travelled really kindly and picked up very good. I could see Ryan ahead and I knew he was going to pick him up very quickly. Credit to the horse and Sir Michael–he's a true legend.”

Expert Eye had the bookmakers running for cover after his Goodwood virtuoso during last summer, but when he panicked in the stalls ahead of the G1 Dewhurst S. for which he traded at 4-7 he was unable to give anything like his true running and trailed in last. Coaxed back to action, he was second to James Garfield (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) in the G3 Greenham S. over this trip at Newbury Apr. 21 but lost his way again in the Newmarket Classic a fortnight later and it was a case of waiting and seeing in this competitive contest. Allowed to find his way through the field by McDonald, whose natural feel in the saddle is well-documented, Expert Eye was able to conjure all his old dynamism and finish off in the style of the class act he had looked before the Dewhurst debacle.

Sir Michael Stoute was full of praise for the behind-the-scenes team behind the rebuilding of the winner's ego. “He was such a good 2-year-old, but things went wrong and I'm so thrilled to see him back to this sort of form,” he said. “This horse has had a lot of work put into him by my head man James Savage, who rides him out every morning and the boys have done a great job with him in the stalls, as that was his problem in the Dewhurst. I still hadn't seen convincing homework like I did last year, but it doesn't matter now.”

Expert Eye is only the second representative of Exemplify (GB) (Dansili {GB}), a Criquette Head-Maarek trainee who won once over a mile at Deauville. She is a half to one of that trainer's better runners of recent times in Special Duty (GB) (Hennessy), who was awarded both the G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches on the disqualification of the winner having won the G1 Cheveley Park S. outright. The second dam Quest to Peak (Distant View) is a full-sister to the dual GI Beldame S. and GI Ogden Phipps H. heroine Sightseek, who was also successful in the GI Ruffian H., GI Go for Wand H. and GI Humana Distaff H. Also a half to the GI Yellow Ribbon S. and GI Gamely Breeders' Cup H. winner Tates Creek (Rahy), she is out of the MSW and GSP third dam Viviana (Nureyev) who is a half to the GII Tidal H. scorer and GI Santa Barbara H. third Revasser (Riverman) and the GI Kentucky Oaks and GI Hempstead H. runner-up Hometown Queen (Pleasant Colony) who in turn produced the GII Meadowlands Breeders' Cup-winning sire Bowman's Band. Viviana's full-sister Willstar is the dam of Etoile Montante (Miswaki) who captured the G1 Prix de la Foret, GII Palomar Breeders' Cup H. and GIII Las Cienegas H. for this operation. Exemplify's 2-year-old filly by Kingman (GB) is named Clerisy (GB), while she also has a yearling colt by Dark Angel (Ire) and a cot foal also by KingmanClick for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

 

Wednesday, Royal Ascot, Britain
JERSEY S.-G3, £90,000, Ascot, 6-20, 3yo, 7fT, 1:26.25, g/f.
1–EXPERT EYE (GB), 127, c, 3, by Acclamation (GB)
1st Dam: Exemplify (GB), by Dansili (GB)
2nd Dam: Quest to Peak, by Distant View
3rd Dam: Viviana, by Nureyev
O-Khalid Abdullah; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-Sir Michael
Stoute; J-James McDonald. £51,039. Lifetime Record: 6-3-1-0,
$240,334. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Society Power (Ire), 127, c, 3, Society Rock (Ire)–Yajala (GB),
by Fasliyev. (€160,000 2yo '17 GBMBR). O-Sheikh Rashid
Dalmook Al Maktoum; B-Tally-Ho Stud (IRE); T-William Haggas.
£19,350.
3–Could It Be Love, 124, f, 3, War Front–Playa Maya, by Arch.
O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Mr Derrick Smith; B-Playa
Maya Syndicate (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien. £9,684.[bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred”]
Margins: 4HF, NK, 3/4. Odds: 8.00, 8.00, 5.50.
Also Ran: Symbolization (Ire), Arbalet (Ire), Walk in the Sun, James Garfield (Ire), Headway (GB), Glorious Journey (GB), Eirene (GB), Purser, Tabdeed (GB), Hemp Hemp Hurray, Brother Bear (Ire), Arabian Coast (Ire), Emaraaty (GB), Lake Volta (Ire), Merlin Magic (GB), Tangled (Ire), Another Batt (Ire), Madeline (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

 

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