Santa Anita: Winless since last year, Sumter repeats in Lure

Winless since taking down the 2024 Lure Stakes, 6-year-old Sumter made it back-to-back victories in the one-mile turf event when he rolled to a four-length victory under Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith on Saturday at Santa Anita.

Trained by fellow Hall of Famer Richard Mandella, Sumter won at a fast time of 1:32.46 after stablemate Goliad (9-2) blitzed through fractions of 22.68, 44.95 and 1:08.66 for six furlongs. Sumter settled six lengths behind Goliad up the backstretch, reeled in Goliad near the quarter pole and never was challenged in the stretch to score as the 2-1 second choice.

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“This horse in the morning, he has so much ability. He can probably outrun everybody in the morning,” Smith said. “But for whatever reason in the afternoon, he hasn’t really given it. We always knew that he had it in him. Today he finally gave me that race that I knew he had in him.”

St Anthony (4-1), ridden by Juan Hernández for trainer Neil Drysdale, finished second with another 1 1/2 lengths back to Watsonville (5-1) in third.

The Lure was a restricted race for horses who have not won a stakes in 2025 other than California-bred company.

Sumter improved to 28: 5-5-5 with $480,410 in earnings for owner-breeders Perry and Ramona Bass. In two previous starts this year, both five-furlong turf sprints at Del Mar, the gelding by War Front finished fifth in an allowance on July 31 and eighth in the Green Flash (G3) on Aug. 30.

“This looked awfully good,” Mandella said of the performance. “I was watching him after he pulled up, and he looked like Michael Jackson coming off the racetrack. They do know (they won) sometimes.”

Sumter paid $6.80, $4.20 and $3.00. St. Anthony returned $5.00 and $3.00. Watsonville, with Antonio Fresu up for Mark Glatt, paid $3.20.