Veteran 7-Year-Old Gelding Acclimate Heads Saturday’s Grade III, $100,000 San Juan Capistrano Stakes
At 0h14, on June 18, 2021 • By SANTA ANITA
Fresh of a big second at a mile and one quarter on turf, trainer Phil D’Amato’s Acclimate heads a field of six three year olds and up going a mile and three quarters on turf in Saturday’s Grade III, $100,000 San Juan Capistrano Stakes at Santa Anita. A traditional closing day feature for decades, the iconic San Juan will be run for the 81st time on the penultimate day of Santa Anita’s 78-day Winter/Spring Meeting and will feature a traditional hillside turf start.
A 7-year-old California-bred gelding by Acclimation, out of the Boundary mare Knows No Bounds, Acclimate opened up by three lengths after the first half mile in the Whittingham and ended up second, beaten a head by the David Hofmans-trained Award Winner, when ridden for the first time by Ricky Gonzalez.
Juan Hernandez, the meet’s second leading rider, will take over for the first time on Saturday. Acclimate, who took the 2019 San Juan Capistrano running in gate to wire fashion in combination with the now-departed Martin Garcia will be making his second appearance in the San Juan. Owned by the Ellwood Johnston Family Trust, Timmy Time Racing, LLC and Ken Tevelde, Acclimate was bred in-part by the Johnston family’s Old English Rancho. A two-time graded stakes winner he is 24-6-4-4 and has earnings of $497,872.
