Acclamation led all the way in defeating Interaction by 2-3/4 lengths to win the $300,000 Eddie Read Stakes for the second straight year at Del Mar on Saturday.
Ridden by Patrick Valenzuela, Acclamation ran 1-1/8 miles on the turf in 1 minute, 46.86 seconds and returned $3 for a $2 win bet. The 1-2 favorite extended his winning streak to seven races, including four Grade 1 wins. He carried high weight of 123 pounds in the five-horse field.
"I've been lucky enough to ride some very good horses, champions like Sunday Silence and Arazi and Best Pal," Valenzuela said. "And this horse is right there with them, no doubt about it. He fits. Any horse that runs the way he does, making all the pace himself, then comes home the way he did (the last three-eighths in 34.29 seconds) is a really good horse."
Casino Host was third, 2-1/4 lengths behind Interaction.
A year ago, Acclamation won by 3-1/4 lengths and covered the distance in 1:46.99 for trainer Don Warren. Acclamation finished sixth while running in the race as a 4-year-old in 2010.
He won the $1 million Pacific Classic last year, and Warren said Acclamation was being pointed toward a defense of his title in that race on Aug. 26.
The victory, worth $180,000, increased Acclamation's career earnings to $1,958,048, with 11 wins in 30 starts.
Because of heavy wagering on Acclamation to show, there was a minus show pool of $66,680.86. Of the $453,281 in the show pool, $378,984 was wagered on the winner.
