ARCADIA, Calif. – Kings River Knight is king of the Cal-breds.
The 7-year-old gelding scored a front-running victory Saturday in the $101,000 Crystal Water Stakes at Santa Anita, his third consecutive win in the turf mile for statebreds, and 11th of his career.
Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Kings River Knight ($2.40) popped the gate and never looked back. He won by 3 1/2 lengths over Takes Three. Coalinga Road finished third. The margin of victory was the highest in Kings River Knight’s 18-start career.
Not that trainer John Sadler was surprised. Sadler was adamant Kings River Knight would return to form on Saturday, despite a sixth-place comeback March 30 in the Sensational Star Stakes. That hillside sprint was his first start in 10 months, and Sadler expected him to move forward in his second start back.
“He went out in good shape,” Sadler said. “If you send them out in good shape, your odds of coming back in good shape are quadrupled.”
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It helped that Kings River Knight faced an otherwise paceless field. The gelding popped the gate, and relaxed while setting easy fractions. The half-mile went in :47.78, and six furlongs in 1:11.01. Perfect. He ran his final quarter-mile in :23.83 and was never in danger. The final time was 1:34.84.
“I just let him be happy there,” Hernandez said. “He was traveling really, really well. It looks like he’s back again.”
Kings River Knight is back, and on top. With the retirement of Grade 1-winning sprinter The Chosen Vron, Kings River Knight is the top Cal-bred in training. “He’s a nice horse, he always has been,” Sadler said. “And he’s got races. The Cal-bred program is his thing.”
Kings River Knight earned $60,000 for his Crystal Water victory. The win was his seventh stakes win, and increased his earnings to $710,330 for owners Integrity Thoroughbred Racing, The Ellwood Johnston Trust and Ken Tevelde.
Sired by Acclamation, Kings River Knight will switch surfaces next out. Sadler said the $100,000 Bertrando Stakes, a mile dirt race for Cal-breds on June 21 at Los Alamitos, will be his next start. Kings River Knight won the Bertrando in 2023.
The next turf stakes for older California-breds is the $150,000 California Dreamin’ Stakes, a 1 1/16-mile race on Aug. 2 at Del Mar. Kings River Knight was second in the California Dreamin’ in 2023.
Kings River Knight is the second horse to win the Crystal Water three times. Road to Slew won the race in 2000 and 2001, missed the race in 2002, and won it again in 2003.
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