It was a first graded stakes win for WAR FRONT’s Sumter in Saturday’s San Simeon S. (G3) at Santa Anita.
Making his second start of the year in the 6 ½ furlong turf race, the 7-year-old closely attended Quereme Pass throughout the early stages before engaging just outside the furlong pole. The pacesetter wasn’t willing to bow down and that duel lasted all the way to the wire with Sumter winning by a nose and Quereme Pass just a head in front of a third horse.
It was the sixth win in 32 starts for Sumter, who has finished in the top three in 17 of those starts for $587,870 in earnings. Among those placings are 12 stakes top threes, led by five stakes wins for trainer Richard Mandella and owner-breeder Bass Stables.
Sumter is a full brother to WAR FRONT’s stakes winning Pizzazz and a half-brother to two-time winner Yellow Brick with their stakes winning dam producing three winners from four to race. A Little Bit Sassy was also Grade 2 placed as one of two graded stakes placed runners out of the multiple stakes winning Miss A. Bomb, who also produced the Grade 3-placed Missle Bomb.
This is also the family of Preakness S. (G1) winner Red Bullet and Highlander S. (G1) winner Silent Poet among others.
This is the second graded stakes winner of the year for evergreen sire WAR FRONT, who leads all active North American sires by percentage of stakes winners, graded stakes winners, graded stakes performers, Grade 1 winners, and Grade 1 performers.