Acclamation Overwhelms Del Mar Meet

By Staff Report September 8, 2011

It was a wire-to-wire victory for Acclamation at the 21^st running of Del Mar’s $1 Million Pacific Classic on Aug. 28. The five-year-old California-bred horse was ridden by Patrick Valenzuela. “He’s a great horse. And it doesn’t matter – grass or dirt of Poly. He’s just a runner,” Valenzuela said.

Overall, Acclamation’s stellar performance at the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club’s 72^nd season prompted members of the media to vote him champion in three categories, capped by Horse of the Meet. (He also got Top Older Horse, and Top Grass Horse.)

Acclamation went to the post at 4-1 in a field of nine older horses. He took command leaving the gate of the Grade I mile and one-quarter contest, shook off the stalking Game on Dude and jockey Chantal Sutherland at the head of the stretch and then courageously withstood the lengthy challenge of 5-2 favored Twirling Candy to win by a head.

Acclamation’s time of 2:00.61 was the fastest Pacific Classic since Del Mar installed Polytrack as its main track surface in 2007. The final half-mile was run in :47.73 with a final quarter-mile in exactly 24 seconds. Stately Victor was third, four lengths behind Twirling Candy, and a nose in front of the fading Game on Dude, the Santa Anita Handicap winner.

The Pacific Classic was Acclamation’s third straight Grade I victory, having won the Charles Whittingham Stakes at Hollywood Park prior to taking the Eddie Read Stakes at Del Mar July 29. It was his eighth win in 27 starts and his Pacific take of $600,000 increased his earnings to $1,538,048.

Since the Pacific Classic is part of the Breeders’ Cup “Win and You’re In” program, Acclamation will have the entry fee of $150,000 into the Breeders’ Cup Classic waived, with a stipend to cover travel expenses for the Nov. 5 race at Churchill Downs in Kentucky.

Acclamation, a son of Unusual Heat, was bred by Old English Rancho co-owners Bud and Judy Johnston, who co-own the horse with their daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Peter Hilvers. He is trained by Don Warren, who has spearheaded the Old English ops for more than three decades.

For the 48-year-old Valenzuela, Acclamation’s triumph marks a return to glory in a career of ups and downs. He won the 1991 inaugural of the Pacific Classic in come-from-behind fashion aboard Best Pal, contrasting with Acclamation’s front-runner victory. “He broke alertly for me and I wanted the lead. He took me there and I was able to slow it down,” Valenzuela recounted afterwards. “They came to me at the five-eighths (pole) but I let him run and he was fine. At the sixteenth (pole) Twirling Candy came to me and had every right in the world to run by. But my horse stuck his neck out and fought the battle. He wouldn’t let him by. I think I rode a very good race. But I couldn’t have done it without this horse.”

Acclamation is the fifth Cal-bred to win the Pacific Classic, preceded by Best Pal, Bertrando, Free House and General Challenge.

Bourbon Bay and Great Warrior were scratched.

To his supporters in the Pacific Classic day crowd of 29,267, Acclamation returned $10.80, $5.40 and $5. Twirling Candy paid $4 and $3.40, while Stately Victor returned $7 to show.

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