In a split decision worthy of a season in which very little was settled
definitively on the racetrack, the California-bred Acclamation notched
the Eclipse Award for 2011’s top older male. Acclamation’s three grade I
triumphs on the season were the most of any older male runner except
male turf champion Cape Blanco, who matched Acclamation with his own
trio of grade I wins.
Acclamation excelled as a homebred for the Johnston family’s Old English
Rancho, an operation located near Sanger, Calif., and one rich in
history over its 70 years in the Thoroughbred business.
The 5-year-old of 2011 is a son of perennial leading California sire
Unusual Heat.
After a pair of disappointing starts to begin the season, Acclamation
came to hand winning both the 12-furlong Jim Murray Handicap (gr. IIT)
and the 10-furlong Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap (gr. IT) for
the second season in a row.
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