Hollywood Park: Acclamation may run in Mervyn LeRoy

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - The 2011 champion Acclamation missed the Grade 3 Inglewood Handicap at Betfair Hollywood Park last Friday because of an apparent false alarm concerning his soundness.

There is another race for him on the immediate horizon. Co-owner Bud Johnston said over the weekend that Acclamation could start in Saturday’s $150,000 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap on the main track.

Johnston said Acclamation had resumed exercise at Santa Anita after undergoing X-rays last Friday. Trainer Don Warren expressed concern about Acclamation’s condition after a gallop last Thursday. The subsequent X-rays were negative, Warren and Johnston said.

“The X-rays are clean,” Johnston said. “We’re not sure if he stepped on a rock. We just don’t know. He was just off a little bit.

“There is a possibility he could run” in the Mervyn LeRoy,” Johnston said. “I think we might try it. We want to make sure he’s fine. We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves.”

The Grade 2 Mervyn LeRoy Handicap is run over 1 1/16 miles on the synthetic main track. Acclamation has not started on Hollywood Park’s Cushion Track synthetic surface since a seventh in a maiden race in November 2008. Last summer, on Del Mar’s Polytrack synthetic surface, Acclamation won the $1 million Pacific Classic, the fourth of five consecutive graded stakes wins.

Acclamation was named the champion older male of 2011.

The Mervyn LeRoy is primarily a prep for the $500,000 Hollywood Gold Cup on July 7. For the last two years at this meeting, Acclamation has won the Grade 1 Charles Whittingham Handicap over 1 1/4 miles on turf. This year’s Whittingham will be run on June 9.