All systems go for United to win his second straight Whittingham

ARCADIA, Calif. – It’s not that United is spoiled, but trainer Richard Mandella admits granting the gelding certain privileges.

“He walks around hustling mints and anything anybody’s got – potato chips, Oreo cookies, Twinkies. He’ll eat anything,” Mandella said. “He’s just a big pet around the barn, with a great personality.”

When he is not seeking handouts on the backside, United is a beast on the racetrack. Saturday at Santa Anita he is favored to solidify his reputation as the top distance turf horse in California by winning the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham for a second straight year.

Four entered the Whittingham, a mile and one-quarter turf race in which United faces Phil D’Amato-trained graded winners Red King and Acclimate, and allowance-caliber Award Winner. The $200,000 Whittingham is race 7 Saturday.

The race is not a foregone conclusion, but United will be strongly favored based on a recent comeback score in his first career start without Lasix. The 6-year-old has come a long way since arriving in California in late 2018 as an unheralded, unproven Woodbine maiden winner.

“It took us a while to figure him out,” Mandella said. “He’s got that big, lumbering stride. He’s got good speed, but he’s not good at jumping into it in two strides. We try not to get him hemmed up [in traffic].”

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In that regard, United is an aberration – a one-paced turf horse with minimal turn of foot. But his lack of instant acceleration has not prevented United from winning five graded stakes and finishing second by a head in the 2019 Breeders’ Cup Turf.

United is owned by Larry, Nancy, and daughter Jaime Roth, whose stable name is LNJ Foxwoods. United has won eight races and $1,513,549 from 18 starts and finished first or second his last eight starts in California graded stakes.

“He’s a true professional now, he loves what he’s doing,” Mandella. “He loves to go out [and train]. When it’s time to get ready, you see him in his stall – ‘Come on, let’s go.’ ”

Flavien Prat is his regular rider, and will be back aboard Saturday. As a veteran in his fourth season for Mandella, 6-year-old United has developed a following.

“I’ve been lucky through the years to have horses that stayed around. They become part of the family,” Mandella said. “Any more, people want to run them four times and then go to stud. But keeping them around, and fans getting to know them, it’s good for racing.”

United’s impressive workouts on dirt, and an even-paced style more typical of a dirt horse, are reasons Mandella eventually may give him a shot on the main track. “Just have to figure out what turf race you don’t want to aim at,” he said.

For now, United remains on turf in the Whittingham. United’s tactical speed should allow for a comfortable trip behind front-runners Acclimate and Award Winner, and in front of late-runner Red King, who needed a break after finishing off the board last fall in the BC Turf at Keeneland and Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar.

“He kind of tailed off on us post-Breeders’ Cup last year,” D’Amato said. “We gave him time off at the farm, and he’s come back carrying good weight and color to his coat. He’s got a lot of energy. He just acts like a happy horse.”

Umberto Rispoli rides Red King, and will try to orchestrate a less-eventful trip than his third-place comeback. Red King was trapped inside and behind runners into the lane, had to wait for room that did not develop until late, and finished well.

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That was Red King’s first start in four months. A seven-time winner with $447,755 in earnings from 31 starts, Red King was claimed for $35,000 two years ago by his current ownership group that includes Little Red Feather Racing, Gordon Jacobsen, and Phil Belmonte.

Acclimate will try to win on the lead, though front-runner Award Winner complicates the pace scenario. Furthermore, 7-year-old Acclimate seems to have lost a step since winning two graded stakes in 2019.

“Honestly, in the morning, he’s training better than he has in his life,” D’Amato said. “In the afternoons, I don’t know if he’s outsmarting me or what. He’s training like a stakes horse. He just has to translate that to the afternoon and see if we can get that spark back.”

Acclimate has won six races and $457, 872 from 23 starts, including wins in the Grade 3 San Juan Capistrano at Santa Anita and Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap. Rickey Gonzalez rides Acclimate.

Award Winner is up in class following a front-running win in a second-level allowance at 1 1/4 miles on turf. David Hofmans trains the 5-year-old, whose rider is Juan Hernandez.