Acclamation, the champion older male
of 2011, has had his comeback put on hold.
The two-time winner of both the Jim
Murray and Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicaps was scratched from Friday
night’s $100,000 Inglewood Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park.
Don Warren, who trains the
6-year-old California bred for owner-breeders Bud and Judy Johnston and Peter
and Mary Hilvers, said the decision was made after the son of Unusual Heat
galloped Thursday morning.
“We think he’s OK, but he took a
couple of bad steps after he galloped yesterday morning,’’ said Warren. “He
looked fine this morning. We took x-rays and everything was nice and clean and
cold.
“We didn’t take him out to gallop
(Friday morning). We’re not sure what was going on, but I saw what I saw and we
can’t take any chances. He’ll go back to the track tomorrow and we’ll see if
he’s OK.’’
A five-time winner over the Betfair
Hollywood Park turf course, Acclamation hasn’t run since winning the Grade II
Clement L. Hirsch last Oct. 2 at Santa Anita. The victory was his fifth in a
row and pushed his earnings to $1,628,048. Overall, the bay has won nine of 28.
A Grade III at 1 1/8 miles on turf,
the Inglewood is the third of nine races on the first Friday night card of the
Spring/Summer meet.
Those remaining in the 72nd
renewal are 2010 Hollywood Derby winner Haimish Hy, Utopian, Smug and Holladay
Road.