DEL MAR, Calif. - United won the sixth stakes of his remarkable career with a determined stretch run in Saturday’s Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Del Mar, the second consecutive year the 6-year-old gelding won the Read, one of the track’s leading turf races. The win came seven weeks after United finished last of four as the 3-10 favorite in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes at Santa Anita. A few weeks after the Whittingham, trainer Richard Mandella determined United had a tender foot that could have affected his performance. There was no mishap in the $251,000 Eddie Read Stakes, prompting a one-word response from Mandella when he reflected on the win. “Relief,” Mandella said. Ridden by Flavien Prat, United ($8.60) closed from fifth in the final three furlongs to catch a game rival in even-money favorite Smooth Like Strait, who led by a length with a furlong remaining. United, who bested Smooth Like Strait by a neck, completed the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.49 and was given a 100 Beyer Speed  Figure. United raced between 22-1 Vintage Print and 24-1 Restrainedvengence to the middle of the turn when Prat moved his mount into a three-wide position in pursuit of Smooth Like Strait. United needed the entire stretch to reach the front. :: Visit DRF's Del Mar shop for all your handicapping needs: Past performances, picks, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more “Flavien was forced to stay where he was,” Mandella said. “It seems like he had a lot of horse.” Smooth Like Strait was favored on the strength of a win in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita on May 31. A six-time stakes winner for trainer Michael McCarthy, Smooth Like Strait was well placed throughout, stalking pacesetter Award Winner through slow early fractions of 25.19 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 49.43 for a half-mile. “I thought he was in a good spot,” McCarthy said. “He came running. Advantage to the other horse at a mile and an eighth.” Count Again, fourth in the Grade 1 Old Forester Turf Classic at Churchill Downs on May 1, closed from last to finish third, beaten 1 1/4 lengths as the 4-1 third choice. Vintage Print finished fourth, followed by Award Winner, Restrainedvengence, and Say the Word. United, the second choice in the Eddie Read, began his 2021 season with a win in the Grade 3 San Luis Rey Stakes at 1 1/2 miles on turf at Santa Anita in March. Owned by Larry, Nancy, and Jaime Roth’s LNJ Foxwoods Stable, United has won 9 of 20 starts and earned $1,675,549. Mandella has mentioned the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap at 1 3/8 miles on turf on Aug. 21 as a goal for United later this summer.