Cabo Spirit, Gas Me Up may travel for stakes

Recent graded stakes wins by Cabo Spirit and Gas Me Up at Santa Anita may lead to appearances in seven-figure races in Florida and Saudi Arabia later this winter.

Gas Me Up won his second Grade 2 race in four months in Monday’s $202,500 Joe Hernandez Stakes at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the hillside turf course. Gas Me Up was timed in a quick 1:10.88 and earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 100.

Trainer Peter Eurton said Friday that Gas Me Up may be sent to Saudi Arabia for the Group 2 1351 Sprint at about 6 3/4 furlongs on turf Feb. 14, pending compliance with shipping regulations to that country.

“We have to check and see our vaccination” status, Eurton said. “That’s an option. They’d like to have him if we can make it work.”

The 1351 Sprint has a purse of $2 million.

Eurton said one conflict with a trip to Saudi Arabia is his desire to be at Fair Grounds the same day to watch Majestical in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles. The $300,000 Rachel Alexandera could be the first start in a stakes for Majestical, who won a maiden race at 1 1/16 miles by 4 1/4 lengths on Dec. 27 at Fair Grounds.

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Gas Me Up, a 5-year-old gelding by Hard Spun, races for the partnership of Exline-Border Racing, Michael Jawl, Aaron Kennedy and Tom Zwiesler.

Gas Me Up has raced in California and at Woodbine in his 11-race career. Gas Me Up had four starts for Eurton in 2022 and did not race again until June 2024, winning an allowance race at Woodbine for trainer Kevin Attard in his only start that year.

In the second half of 2025, Gas Me Up won the Grade 2 King Edward Stakes at a mile at Woodbine in August, finished third in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile, and was seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Mile on Nov. 1 at Del Mar, while trained by Attard.

Gas Me Up was transferred to Eurton after the BC Mile. In the Hernandez, Gas Me Up closed from last of 10 with a wide rally to win by 1 3/4 lengths in a 13-1 upset.

“I was blown away,” Eurton said.

Aside from the 1351 Sprint, Eurton said the Grade 2 Frank Kilroe Mile on March 7 at Santa Anita is an option. The $300,000 Kilroe Mile has been downgraded from a Grade 1 to a Grade 2 for 2026.

Cabo Spirit ended a five-race losing streak since April with his sixth career stakes win in the Grade 3 San Gabriel Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf at Santa Anita last Sunday.

Cabo Spirit, trained by George Papaprodromou for Rustin Kretz, led throughout and won by 1 1/4 lengths at 6-1. The victory has prompted plans for a trip to Gulfstream Park for the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at 1 1/8 miles on Jan. 24.

“We can run in that race and go for a little break,” Papaprodromou said. “He won nicely the other day.”

The $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf would be the first start outside of California for Cabo Spirit since he finished 11th in the Grade 3 Mint Million Stakes at Kentucky Downs in September 2023.

A 7-year-old gelding, Cabo Spirit has won 7 of 39 starts and earned $1,356,836.

In six starts in 2025, Cabo Spirit’s lone stakes win was the Grade 3 American Stakes at a mile on turf at Santa Anita in April. He was third by a neck in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile at Santa Anita last May.

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