Incoming Swettenham shuttler Equiano represents a sireline that’s on fire in Europe this year.

A Group 1 winner of the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2008 and 2010, Equiano will be the first son of Acclamation to stand in Australia.  

A gifted sprinter himself, Acclamation is already building a reputation as a sire of sires.  His G1 winning son Dark Angel is the most exciting first-season sire in Europe with 20 individual juvenile winners already this year.

Dark Angel posted his latest winner when Irish-bred filly Dark Ray won the MTV Maiden (1400m) in Naples on August 10.  His other Italian winners have been Irish Applause and Porter House.

Dark Angel’s only other winner outside of UK-Ireland has been Czech based filly White Angel who won at Velká Chuchle on May 22.

White Angel (2f Dark Angel – Royal Interlude By King’s Theatre) defeated Desert Monarch (Desert King) and Rabbit Dark Angel (Dark Angel) on debut and she followed with a second placing at Karlovy Vary on Sunday, August 14.

Acclamation heads the European 2YO table with 23 individual winners and they include Harbour Watch who posted a G2 victory in the Richmond Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.  He is the opening 10-1 favourite for the 2012 English 2000 Guineas.

Acclamation is by Royal Applause who is a former Champion British 2YO sire.  His latest stakes winner in the juvenile division arrived when Saigon landed the LR Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury last month

Equiano defeated Takeover Target in the 2008 King’s Stand Stakes and recently retired Barry Hills rated him the fastest horse he had ever trained.  “The exceptional speed he demonstrated in winning the 2008 King’s Stand Stakes marked him out as a very special sprinter,” Hill explained.  “Equiano was also a very sound horse and was perfect to deal with in every way.”

Equiano will stand at an early bird fee of $15,000 (inc gst) at Swettenham.