Del Mar Handicap winner Acclimate has come a long way in a year

DEL MAR, Calif. – Less than a year after he won a $20,000 claimer for maidens at Los Alamitos, Acclimate is bound for the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita on Nov. 2 as a multiple graded stakes winner on turf.

Saturday at Del Mar, Acclimate won the richest race of his career in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap, leading throughout the $250,702 race at 1 3/8 miles on turf. As the winner of the Del Mar Handicap, Acclimate received a fees-paid berth to the BC Turf at 1 1/2 miles.

Trainer Phil D’Amato won the Del Mar Handicap for the third consecutive year and for the fifth time in the last six years with Acclimate, who races for the Ellwood Johnston Family Trust and Timmy Time Racing.

D’Amato began training Acclimate last fall after the Johnston family moved the gelding and other horses away from trainer Kenny Black. In his final start for Black, Acclimate won the maiden claimer at Los Al in his second start on dirt, and fourth career race, while wearing blinkers.

“He got his confidence,” D’Amato said. “They put blinkers on him and stretched him out and it’s been a gradual ascent to where he is today.”

Acclimate won a $25,000 claimer for non-winners of two at a mile on turf at Santa Anita last October in his first start for D’Amato. Acclimate later won an allowance race for California-breds at a mile on turf before D’Amato tried him in a starter allowance at 1 1/8 miles in May. Acclimate led throughout to win by 3 1/4 lengths, leading to a first stakes appearance in the Grade 3 San Juan Capistrano Stakes at about 1 3/4 miles on turf at Santa Anita on June 23.

Acclimate led throughout that turf marathon to win by a half-length at 9-1.

“We found out what he wanted to do,” D’Amato said. “First, it was long, and when we got him to the grass we found out he was better.

“The San Juan Capistrano came up light and the owners wanted to give him a shot. That got us where we are today.”

Acclimate was last of 11 in the California Dreamin’ Stakes for statebreds at 1 1/16 miles on turf on July 26, a distance shorter than his preferred trip. In the Del Mar Handicap, he wired the field under jockey Florent Geroux to win by a length over Oscar Dominguez.

D’Amato, 43, has had 14 Breeders’ Cup starters and won the 2016 BC Turf Sprint with Obviously. He is winless with three starters in the BC Turf, with his best result a ninth by Big John B in 2014.