Although not listed on the Aquis Farm roster for this spring, Champion British First Season Sire, Aclaim covered 77 mares in 2022 in his sole trip down under.
With a host of stakes horses already including last year’s 1,000 Guineas winner Cachet, the son of Acclamation could soon add to the black type tally with the Irish bred Hava Nageela notching up his third straight success in Hong Kong overnight.
Posting three in a row in Ireland before heading to Hong Kong, Hava Nageela didn’t exactly set the world on fire in his first five outings for trainer Frankie Lor and wasn’t considered for the Hong Kong Derby in March.
However, the switch to dirt has proven to be a winning move and last night’s Sha Tin Heights Handicap over 1650m has Lor ‘rejoicing’ the gelding’s prospects: “if he keeps improving, we can look at another big race for him next season.
"He seems to really like the dirt but, looking at the program, we will probably have to go back to the turf. He’s run second on that here, so it should be okay.”
