Exquisite Acclaim

Dundalk is where Exquisite Acclaim truly dominates. He has won 7 of his 27 races there—an extraordinary 26% win rate at a single track. His first career win came at Dundalk on 17 September 2021, and he returned there on 28 January this year to claim his most recent victory, suggesting the track still suits him perfectly five years into his racing life. That is the kind of loyalty to a course that matters, especially for an older horse. Yet there is a frustration in his recent form: he has not won in his last six races, with scattered placings (a fourth, thirteenth, sixth, third, seventh, and twelfth) that suggest he is either being asked to race in conditions that do not favour him or is simply due a return to the winners' circle.

Trainer Adrian McGuinness, based at Lusk in Co Dublin, has been the architect of most of his wins, though his most successful partnership has been with jockey Adam Caffrey. Caffrey has won 6 of 30 races aboard Exquisite Acclaim—a 20% win rate together, notably higher than the horse's overall numbers. That kind of rapport matters on a horse that clearly has preferences and sweet spots. At seven years old and still racing actively, Exquisite Acclaim remains a horse with enough ability to find his way back to the winners' circle, especially if the yard can time a run back at Dundalk on the ground he loves.