Winning a race in gate-to-wire fashion can be impressive, but it is more so when the race is 1 3/4 miles.
That's just what Acclimate did June 23 in the $100,702 San Juan Capistrano (G3T), earning his first stakes victory, all while setting quick fractions of :22.26, :46.10, 1:09.76, and 1:34.95 for the first mile, which began on the downhill turf course at Santa Anita Park.
Running comfortably under jockey Martin Garcia, the 5-year-old gelded son of Acclamation opened up on the field of six others in the marathon test for 3-year-olds and older and never let up. In the stretch, Oscar Dominguez rallied and for a brief time looked as though he would catch the leader, but he just couldn't muster enough and finished half a length behind. Final time for the distance was 2:48.80 over a firm course.
"It was all in the easy instruction Phil (D'Amato) gave me," Garcia explained. "He said, 'Just break, take the lead, and don’t look back. He has natural speed, and he is going to handle (the distance) no problem,’ and that’s what I did. I didn’t expect that he would go that fast. He just did it so easily. Then at the three-eighths when I asked him, he just responded, and they never caught me.”
Trained by D'Amato for The Ellwood Johnston Trust and Timmy Time Racing, Acclimate came into the San Juan Capistrano off a win in a 1 1/8-mile starter allowance race on firm turf. Prior to Sunday, his best winning effort came in a one-mile allowance race over a turf course labeled good at Santa Anita.
"I always knew (Acclimate) wanted to go longer but never knew he wanted to go this far," D'Amato said. "We are very fortunate to watch these beautiful animals run and enjoy themselves. … When this horse gets comfortable, he keeps clipping those steady fractions. Even though he was going fast, he was kind of doing it the right way. He didn’t look like he was all out."
Acclimate brought his record to 5-1-2 from 14 starts. He is the first stakes winner for his dam, Knows No Bounds, by Boundary. He was bred in California by Old English Rancho, Sal Berumen, and Patsy Berumen.
The winner returned $21, $8.60, and $4.40. Oscar Dominguez paid $4.00 and $3.20. Red King got up for the show spot to return $5.40.
Earlier on the card, John Lindley and Ray Morton's Majestic Eagle put in a last-minute rally to win the $100,351 American Stakes (G3T) for 3-year-olds and older going one mile during the last day of the meet at the Southern California track.
Trained by Neil Drysdale and ridden by Rafeal Bejarano, Majestic Eagle landed just his third win from 17 starts and his first stakes victory with the return to grass.
Snazzy Dresser grabbed the lead shortly after the field of six left the gate and maintained his position comfortably through six furlongs in fractions of :23.65, :47.09, and 1:10.40, with Bombard, Law Abidin Citizen, and Sharp Samurai in pursuit. At the top of the turn, Sharp Samurai moved up as Law Abidin Citizen was taken back, but the field was still chasing Snazzy Dresser into the stretch.
It wasn't until the final yards when Law Abidin Citizen had a sharp burst of speed and an opening on the rail—and Sharp Samurai began to close with Majestic Eagle running to his outside—that Snazzy Dresser looked to be in trouble. The three ran past the leader, posting a tight finish in which Majestic Eagle was a neck better than Law Abidin Citizen. Sharp Samurai was third, just a nose behind the runner-up.
"This is my last mount of the meet, and we had a dream trip," Bejarano said. "I followed Sharp Samurai around the (far) turn, and when we got clear, he was really running. Mr. Drysdale told me this horse doesn't like the stick, so I hand-rode him, and he really responded."
The final time on firm turf was 1:34.57. The winner paid $20, $7.40, and $3.40.
"Being back on the grass helped him, I would say," Drysdale said. "He got the trip, but there wasn't as much pace as I thought there would be. We were thinking about gelding him tomorrow, but maybe we will change our minds."
Bred in Kentucky by B. Flay Thoroughbreds, Majestic Eagle is a 4-year-old Medaglio d'Oro colt. He is the first foal out of the Tapit mare Double Tapped. His full sister Double Medal finished second in the June 8 William D. Graham Memorial Stakes at Woodbine.