Sumter Edges Quereme Pass by a Nose in San Simeon Stakes at Santa Anita

After finishing second in the last two editions of the Joe Hernandez Stakes at the same distance, Sumter would not be denied on Santa Anita's hillside turf course. The seven-year-old War Front gelding, trained by Richard E. Mandella and ridden by Mike E. Smith, ground down Argentine invader Quereme Pass in the final strides to capture the San Simeon Stakes (G3T) by a nose on March 14, completing the $100,000 test in 1:12.80 on firm turf.

Quereme Pass, breaking from post two under Emisael Jaramillo, seized control immediately and dictated the tempo through sharp early fractions of :21.96 and :44.28. Sumter, drawn on the rail, ranged up to the pacesetter at the dirt crossing and edged clear at the top of the stretch. But Jose Francisco D'Angelo's Florida-based shipper refused to fold. Quereme Pass battled back gamely and ran side-by-side with Sumter through the final yards before surrendering by the narrowest margin the sport offers. Genius Jimmy, trained by Michael W. McCarthy and ridden by Juan J. Hernandez, closed fast to finish a head back in third.

The victory carried particular meaning for Sumter's connections. Despite his reputation as a multiple graded-placed stakes winner, the homebred gelding owned by Perry R. Bass II and Ramona S. Bass and bred by their Bass Stables, LLC, had never before converted graded company into a graded win. Two runner-up finishes in the Joe Hernandez Stakes, a Grade II at the same 6½-furlong hillside distance, had made him a familiar face at the top of graded fields without the win to match.

The winning margin validated what pre-race handicappers had identified as Quereme Pass's most dangerous attribute: his ability to control a race on the front end. With no other confirmed speed in the six-horse field, the Argentine-bred son of Distinctive Passion had drawn 8/1 morning-line odds yet ran a performance that nearly toppled the 5/2 favorite. Smith, who had previously guided Sumter to victories in the 2024-25 Lure Stakes going a mile on Santa Anita's flat turf, now has a graded stakes triumph on the hillside course to add to their partnership.

Sumter is by War Front out of A Little Bit Sassy, by More Than Ready. The winner's purse of $60,000 went to the Bass connections, with $20,000 to Quereme Pass's connections and $12,000 to Genius Jimmy's connections, out of the $100,000 guaranteed purse. A trophy was also presented to the winning owner.