Champion Acclamation sires his first winner

California-bred champion Acclamation sired his first winner on August 12 when the juvenile colt Accountability won a $64,380 maiden race for California-breds at Del Mar.

Acclamation, bred by Old English Rancho and raced by Buddy and Judy Johnston and Peter and Mary Hilvers, won the Eclipse Award as champion older male of 2011 when he won three Grade 1 races on the West Coast, including the Pacific Classic Stakes. He went to stud at Old English Rancho in Sanger, Calif., near Fresno, for the 2013 season for a fee of $20,000, and has stood for $15,000 at the farm since.

Acclamation has 30 foals in his first crop, with four starters to date, and has 37 yearlings in his second crop. By perennial leading California sire Unusual Heat, Acclamation is out of the Silveyville mare Winning in Style.

Trained by Don Warren, Acclamation raced from ages 2 through 6, starting 30 times, winning 11 races, and earning $1,958,048. He won his maiden in open company in his last start at 2, raced three times in state-bred company immediately after that, but he proved he was good enough to run with any horse and never faced state-breds after his sixth career start.

At 3, Acclamation placed in three stakes, including the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby. At 4, he won two stakes , the Grade 1 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap and Grade 2 Jim Murray Handicap, while taking two of nine starts.

At 5, he was the best older horse in the nation when winning five of seven starts, taking the Pacific Classic, Eddie Read, and Whittingham, all Grade 1, plus the Grade 2 Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship and Murray. At 6, he won his only two starts, the Eddie Read and Whittingham again, before being retired due to injury.

Accountability, owned by Paul Newhart and Craig Martin and trained by Rafael Becerra, was making his second start when winning the 5 1/2-furlong race at Del Mar. Under Drayden Van Dyke, the gray or roan colt contested the lead from the start, battled through the lane, and then held off Closing Time (by Slew’s Tiznow) to win by a half-length at odds of 7-1. Drinks at Sunset (by Thorn Song) was third in the nine-horse field.

Bred by Old English Rancho, Accountability was purchased by Newhart for $25,000 at the 2015 Barretts yearling sale.