By DRF.com
ARCADIA, Calif. (May 18, 2025) – California-bred champion Kings River Knight, odds-on winner of the last two runnings of the race, seeks a three-peat in Saturday’s $100,000 Crystal Water Stakes for Golden State Series-eligibles at Santa Anita.
Kings River Knight, 7 years old, enters off a sixth-place comeback, the lowest finish of his career.
“A bit of an odd race,” trainer John Sadler acknowledged, referring to the Sensational Star Stakes, a turf sprint. “Off the [10-month] comeback, he might have needed it, but he’s trained really good since. I expect him to run like the old Kings River Knight.”
He gets ideal conditions. Kings River Knight is the only front-runner in the Crystal Water. He also is the most accomplished horse on a Saturday program with five stakes for California-breds. Kings River Knight, a six-time stakes winner and 10 for 17 overall, is the 4-5 program favorite in the Crystal Water, race 8.
Kings River Knight, whose rider is Juan Hernandez, should be loose on the lead. His rivals are Stamp My Passport, 8-year-old stakes winner Coalinga Road, and outsiders Takes Three, Barely Funtional, Clouseau, and Freeport Joe. Except for the favorite, it’s an allowance-caliber field of statebreds.
A skeptic might question if Kings River Knight is as good as he was a year ago. In his March 30 comeback sprint, he pressed the pace and finished off the board.
“There was a lot of pace in that downhill race and it just didn’t work for him,” Sadler said. “He didn’t run that bad.”
The race served its purpose as a prep for the Crystal Water. Sadler said Kings River Knight has trained very well since, and there is no doubting his class. “He’s so reliable,” Sadler said.
Kings River Knight was bred by Old English Rancho and has earned $650,330. He is the second-leading money earner sired by Acclamation. The stallion’s top earner is Acclimate, who earned $763,372.
If the race unfolds as expected, Kings River Knight figures to wire the field as the most probable winner on the card. If he misfires, anything goes. Stamp My Passport could be positioned closest to the favorite and would get first run.
Based in California, Stamp My Passport made his last two starts at Turf Paradise. He won an entry-level allowance, then finished third in a second-level allowance behind a pair of next-start winners. Leonard Powell trains Stamp My Passport. Armando Ayuso is his rider.
The 8-year-old stakes winners Coalinga Road and Freeport Joe are the oldest horses running on Saturday at Santa Anita. Coalinga Road’s most recent win was January of 2023 in the Unusual Heat Turf Classic, a race in which Kings River Knight finished fourth. Coalinga Road is 7-2 second choice on the morning line.
Coalinga Road and Freeport Joe are late-runners who must catch a loose-on-the-lead favorite. Umberto Rispoli rides Coalinga Road. Assael Espinoza is on 30-1 Freeport Joe for trainer Gloria Haley.
Stamp My Passport is by Vancouver, out of the Street Boss mare Sweet Boss, was bred by owners Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Shapiro and is trained by Leonard Powell. He has four wins in 15 starts, earnings of $167,412 and is coming off a third in an Apr. 2 optional claimer.
Stakes winner Coalinga Road is by Quality Road, out of the Johannesburg mare Coco Ecolo, was bred by owner Harris Farms and trained by Carla Gaines. She has four wins in 34 starts, earnings of $527,182 and is coming off a fifth in a May 3 optional claimer. He was fourth in this race last year and second in 2023.
Takes Three is by Nyquist, out of the Square Eddie mare Radish, was bred by Reddam Racing, is owned by Slugo Racing and trained by Mike Puype. He has three wins in 16 starts, earnings of $153,186 and is coming off a fourth in an Apr. 5 optional claimer.
Barely Funtional is by Mrazek, out of the Tapit mare Walkingonadream, was bred by owner Reddam Racing and is trained by Antonio Garcia. He has four wins in 26 starts, earnings of $295,746 and is coming off a seventh in a Mar. 28 optional claimer. He was second in this race last year.
Clouseau is by Distorted Humor, out of the Bernardini mare English Garden, was bred by PT Syndicate #1, is owned by Giddyup JR and trained by George Papaprodromou. He has seven wins in 23 starts, earnings of $371,988 and is coming off an Apr. 26 optional claiming win. He’s won four of his last five starts.
Northern California Yearling Sale graded winner Freeport Joe is by English Channel, out of the Sadler’s Wells mare Winds of March, was bred by Richard Barton Enterprises, is owned by Larry Odbert and trained by Gloria Haley. He has nine wins in 35 starts, earnings of $355,542 and is coming off a 10th in a May 3 optional claimer.