Cabo Spirit, Sumter main players in La Jolla Handicap

Cabo Spirit and Sumter are changed 3-year-olds since they last raced. Cabo Spirit was gelded following a close second in the Cinema Stakes at Santa Anita on June 4. Sumter has grown since his win in the Singletary Stakes at Santa Anita on April 2, according to trainer Richard Mandella.

They meet for the first time in an intriguing field of six in Sunday’s Grade 3 La Jolla Handicap at 1 1/16 miles on turf at Del Mar, a key prep for the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby on Sept. 3.

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Sumter, owned by Ramona and Perry Bass, is unbeaten in two starts this year, beginning with the Pasadena Stakes at a mile on turf Feb. 19. After the win in the Singletary, also at a mile on turf, Sumter was under consideration for the Grade 2 American Turf Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 7 until Mandella abandoned the plan in favor of a brief rest for the colt.

“He’d had enough,” Mandella said. “We gave him a break.

“He looks better to me. He trains good, grew up and filled out.”

Sumter, who will be ridden by Mike Smith, is the expected pacesetter in the $150,000 La Jolla Handicap.

Sumter is expected to face pace pressure from Armagnac, who set the pace in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on May 21 before fading to finish seventh of nine. Trained by Bob Baffert, Armagnac will have his turf debut in La Jolla.

A winner of 2 of 6 starts, Armagnac has won a maiden race and an allowance race on dirt at 1 1/16 miles, leading throughout in both races. Last Sunday, Armagnac worked five furlongs on turf in 1:04.

“It’s sort of an experiment to see what he does,” Baffert said of the surface switch. “I thought we’d try it and see how he likes it.

“He has natural speed. We’ll play the break.”

This year, Cabo Spirit has a win and a second in two starts on turf, and four losses on dirt and synthetic tracks. Cabo Spirit was part of the prep races for the Triple Crown until he finished sixth of 12 in the Grade 3 Jeff Ruby Steaks at Turfway Park on April 2.

Cabo Spirit began the year with a win in the Eddie Logan Stakes on turf at Santa Anita in January. In his other start on turf this year, Cabo Spirit was a game second to War At Sea in the Cinema Stakes at 1 1/8 miles. Trained by George Papaprodromou, Cabo Spirit was gelded a week later.

“Hopefully there is a little pace and that would help us a lot,” Papaprodromou said. “He’s doing great since we gelded him.”

The La Jolla is the stakes debut for Perfect Flight, purchased for $160,000 at the Fasig-Tipton horses of racing age sale last month by Gary Barber, and for Stayincotai, who came to the U.S. after two starts in Ireland and won an allowance race at 1 1/16 miles on turf at Del Mar on July 23.

Brit’s Wit was fifth in the Oceanside Stakes after racing in traffic on the turn July 22 at Del Mar.