With an easy 2012 debut, Acclamation wins the Charles Whittingham the third time
The champion older horse of 2011, Acclamation, returned to the races after a layoff of 8 months, but without any signs of rust, he powered down the stretch at Betfair Hollywood Park to win the Grade 1, $250,000 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap on 9
June, 2012, at about 1 ¼ miles on grass.
With this win, Donald Warren trained 6-year-old champ hasn’t lost a race in 6 consecutive races, and he doesn’t look like in the mood to give away this impressive winning streak – which majorly consists of Grade 2 and Grade 1 races.
Bred in California by Old English Rancho, Acclamation won the Grade 1 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap for the third time in three years, and in 2012, under rider Patrick Valenzuela, Acclamation posted a gate to wire victory and finishing a length over
the runner-up, Slim Shadey, as Utopian finished third.
The son of Unusual Heat dictated the pace, as the duo along the rail posted soft fractions by going the opening quarter mile in 24.89 seconds, reaching the half mile marker in 49.68 seconds, and while being pressed prior to the six furlong marker, Acclamation
stepped on the gas to down the distance in 1 minute and 14.86 seconds.
In the mid stretch, it looked as if Slim Shadey will overhaul the champion, but Acclamation was aware of the challenge as he repelled it and went on his marry way to down the 1 ¼ miles distance in 2 minutes and 1.50 seconds.
Out of Silveyville mare Winning In Style, Acclamation was scheduled to make his 2012 debut way earlier than the Charles Whittingham Memorial, as Warren pointed his runner to the Inglewood Handicap, but a few setbacks resulted in missing the race.
“It was kind of a bumpy road getting here, but we made it,’’ said Warren. “He’s been training like he was ready. The setback (that led to the Inglewood scratch) he had didn’t worry me that he would be short because I had another month to work with him.
“We never found out what was wrong. You can guess maybe it was this or maybe it’s that, but it’s nothing you can put your finger on.”
Tags: