Cabo Spirit holds off King of Gosford, notches upset in American Stakes
?q=100)
ARCADIA, Calif. - As he ages, Cabo Spirit frequently races on the lead, a change from his style as a 3-year-old in 2022 when he won three stakes from off the pace.
The current tactics work, too. Last September, Cabo Spirit won the richest race of his career in the Grade 2 John Henry Turf Championship by leading throughout the $753,000 race.
On Sunday at Santa Anita, Cabo Spirit set the pace in the Grade 3 American Stakes and recorded a 6-1 upset over 4-5 King of Gosford.
“I thought they might let me get away with it,” winning rider Mike Smith said.
“I asked him a little bit along the way. I stayed busy on him because he was out there by himself and I knew there were some closers and they would come at us in the last 100 to 50 yards or so.”
Cabo Spirit ($15.20) ran a mile on turf in 1:34.42 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 94.
He set a modest pace of 23.10 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 47.31 for a half-mile, leading by a length through the first half of the race over King of Gosford, a four-time stakes winner in 2024 against 3-year-olds who had his first start of the year on Sunday.
Cabo Spirit led by 1 1/2 lengths over King of Gosford with a furlong remaining. Though the margin at the finish was closer (3/4 of a length), Cabo Spirit remained in control of the race.
The win in the American could lead to appearances in the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile on turf on May 26 for Cabo Spirit and King of Gosford, who is trained by Phil D’Amato.
“I needed this race to get him to the promised land in a month,” D’Amato said, referring to the $300,000 Shoemaker Mile. “It was his first start against older horses.”
King of Gosford finished 2 1/2 lengths clear of 9-2 Endlessly. The remaining order of finish was Zio Jo, Il Bellator, Phosphorescence and St Anthony.
The $101,000 American Stakes was Cabo Spirit’s sixth win in 33 starts in a career that began in August 2021. Owned by Rustin Kretz and trained by George Papaprodromou, Cabo Spirit has earned $1,134,336.
A 6-year-old horse by Pioneerof the Nile, Cabo Spirit was purchased for $575,000 at a 2-year-olds in-training sale in 2021.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.