Kings River Knight could end Del Mar stakes drought with California Dreamin'

Kings River Knight tends to duplicate his success.

The 7-year-old gelding won his eighth stakes in Saturday’s $101,000 Bertrando Stakes for statebred milers at Los Alamitos, a race he also won in 2023. He has won the Crystal Water Stakes on turf for statebred milers at Santa Anita the last three years, including on May 24.

Kings River Knight has yet to win a stakes at Del Mar, a milestone he could reach as soon as the $150,000 California Dreamin’ Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on turf for California-breds on Aug. 2.

In 2023, Kings River Knight was a game second to Carmelita’s Man in the California Dreamin’, leading in the stretch before losing by three-quarters of a length. Kings River Knight won his first two races on turf at Del Mar in summer 2022, a maiden race and an allowance race.

Kings River Knight, trained by John Sadler, remained unbeaten in three starts on dirt at Los Alamitos with his win in the Bertrando.

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“This is a nice race in between and kind of sets him up for” the California Dreamin’," Juan Leyva, Sadler’s assistant, said after the Bertrando.

Owned by the partnership of Integrity Thoroughbreds, the family of the late Bud Johnston and Kenneth Tevelde, Kings River Night has won 12 of 19 starts and earned $770,330.

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