Cabo Spirit, out of Schumer BS purchase Fancy Day, added yet another Graded stakes race victory when going gate-to-wire in the Grade 3 San Gabriel at Santa Anita.
Previously winner of the Grade 2 California Crown John Henry Turf Championship Stakes, Grade 2 Twilight Derby, Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap and Grade 3 American Stakes for trainer George Papaprodromou, Cabo Spirit was able to dictate matters up front under Mike Smith to win well from Astronomer.
With that win, his seventh in 39 starts, the Pioneerof The Nile gelding took his earnings to almost $1.4 million.
“We tried something different last time out, sitting right off the leader and that didn’t work out,” said trainer George Papaprodromou. “Today I just told Mike [Smith], ‘Just get him out there, he likes it out there and gets comfortable. He goes there and he turns off for a while and he loves it. He loves Santa Anita, he trains well, he ran huge.
“At the quarter pole when he opened up a length or two, I thought he kind of got it but he’s one of those horses that is sneaky. He knows when they are coming. Sometimes he wants to wait for them but today he just took off. He always tries and has his ways, I had him as a 2-year-old and I love him.”
Fancy Day (pictured), a relation to champion Tiznow, was purchased by Schumer Bloodstock on behalf of Yancy Williams at the 2021 Keeneland November Sale, since when the daughter of Shamardal has produced the stakes horses Convention and Blame Day in addition to Cabo Spirit.
