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Acclamation Wins Whittingham for Third Time
Acclamation Benoit Photo
Hollywood Park: Acclamation wins Whittingham for third time
By Steve Andersen DRF.com
INGLEWOOD, Calif. - It was as if they never left.
The 6-year-old Acclamation, the Eclipse Award winner as the champion older male
of 2011 who had not raced since October, and jockey Patrick Valenzuela, riding
his first race since May 19, teamed to win Saturday's $250,000 Charles
Whittingham Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park.
Acclamation took his customary position at the front of the field, repelled a
brief challenge from Slim Shadey in early stretch and won by a length.
Acclamation won his sixth consecutive race, all stakes, in the Grade 1
Whittingham. The streak began in May, 2011.
Valenzuela has been aboard for the last three of those races, a span that
includes the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar last August and the Clement
Hirsch Turf Championship last October. He has now won the last three runnings of
the Whittingham.
Valenzuela, 49, had not ridden since May 19 after fighting weight problems. The
mount on Acclamation was his only ride on Saturday.
Valenzuela rode Acclamation with confidence. Acclamation led by as many as 2 1/2
lengths on the backstretch, setting a slow pace of 24.89 and 49.68 seconds
through the first half-mile.
"I had plenty of horse all the way around," Valenzuela said. "He picked it up
nicely and he gave it all he had."
The win was a boost for trainer Don Warren. He was hospitalized last month after
a heart attack.
"This was good medicine today, Acclamation running well," Warren said in the
winner's circle.
Acclamation ($4) ran 1 1/4 miles on turf in 2:01.50. Slim Shadey, second in the
Woodford Reserve Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on May 5, closed from third to
race within 1 1/2 lengths of the leader in early stretch. He never got within a
length.
"He's a good horse to peg back on the front," said Simon Callaghan, who trains
Slim Shadey. "We ran a good race."
Utopian, the winner of the Grade 3 Inglewood Handicap on April 27, finished
third, followed by Juniper Pass and Barney Rebel. Make Music for Me was
scratched on Saturday morning.
Acclamation, a California-bred by Unusual
Heat, was entered for the Inglewood, but did not start after Warren said he
was unhappy with the horse's condition the day before the race. Subsequent tests
revealed no abnormalities.
Owned by a partnership led by breeder Bud Johnston, Acclamation has won 10 of 29
starts and $1,778,048.
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