(Winner’s circle photo after Cabo Spirit won the G3 San Gabriel Stakes at Santa Anita Park on Sunday / Benoit Photo & Courtesy of Santa Anita)

From the Santa Anita Park Media Team:

GRADE III, $100,000 SAN GABRIEL STAKES QUOTES

JOCKEY QUOTES

MIKE SMITH, CABO SPIRIT, WINNER: “The trip was brilliant. Cabo Spirit was happy. I think he liked the cut in distance. The track is a little on the softer side today, and I think it suited him. He broke well and I was able to get a comfortable lead. He felt confident and positive all the way around.”

TRAINER QUOTES

GEORGE PAPAPRODROMOU, CABO SPIRIT, WINNER: “We tried something different last time out, sitting right off the leader and that didn’t work out. Today I just told Mike, ‘Just get him out there, he likes it out there and gets comfortable.’ He goes there and he turns off for a while and he loves it. He loves Santa Anita, he trains well, he ran huge. At the quarter pole when he opened up a length or two I thought he kind of got it but he’s one of those horses that is sneaky. He knows when they are coming. Sometimes he wants to wait for them but today he just took off. He always tries and has his ways, I had him as a 2-year-old and I love him.”

NOTES: The winning owner is Kretz Racing LLC.