ARCADIA, Calif. – It’s hard to find the right race for a horse this winter in California, and the effect of a declining equine population is evident Saturday at Santa Anita. The unusual entry of multiple California-bred stakes winner Kings River Knight in a second-level allowance and the ambitious placement of entry-level allowance winner Queens Command in a Grade 3 stakes are both due to a scarcity of horses. Kings River Knight might win Saturday, but the race-5 turf mile was not the objective for the five-time stakes winner. He was entered for the $100,000 Tiznow Stakes on Feb. 19, the card was canceled by rain, and the California-bred stakes was not rescheduled after drawing only three confirmed runners. Short term, it may work out for Kings River Knight, who would have had a tough time against The Chosen Vron in the Tiznow. Long term, the Tiznow cancellation underscores the shortage of older California-bred stakes horses. A similar situation applies to Queens Command in the Santa Ana Stakes, race 7. The 1 1/4-mile turf race attracted a deep field of fillies and mares, including back-to-back stakes winner Linda’s Gift and impressive allowance winner Khinjani. Phil D’Amato trains three of the eight entrants, and he acknowledged the Santa Ana was not the first choice for Queens Command. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Queens Command unleashed a strong kick to score a sharp victory in her U.S. debut last month, after which D’Amato planned another allowance. “We were looking for a two-other-than, and it didn’t go,” he said. “But she’s doing really well, so I thought hey, it’s time to give her a shot and see where we stand.” All three D’Amato entrants – Queens Command, Leisurewear, and Musical Rhapsody – are eligible to a second-level allowance. No problem. Class barriers are less relevant in the $100,000 Santa Ana, won by N2X-eligible Ballet Dancing last year and N1X-eligible Going to Vegas in 2021. Linda’s Gift, the potential Santa Ana favorite, exploited easy pace scenarios to wire the Grade 3 Red Carpet at Del Mar and Astra Stakes at Santa Anita. Richard Mandella trains Linda’s Gift, but the mare and jockey Tiago Pereira will have company in the form of a fitter Leisurewear. “She will definitely be forwardly placed,” said D’Amato, who expects Leisurewear to improve from her fifth-place comeback following a seven-month layoff. “She was definitely in need of her race last time, going a mile and a half off a layoff is pretty tough. Second off the bench, I think she’s a much tighter filly.” :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports D’Amato also starts closer Musical Rhapsody, runner-up to Linda’s Gift in both recent starts. “It’s been unfortunate she’s had a lack of pace to run at the last two,” D’Amato said. “If we need to push the button a little sooner, we will.” Queens Command’s last-to-first U.S. debut at a mile gives her a right to stay 1 1/4 miles. “She galloped out well, and after the race, Flavien [Prat] said she’d go further,” D’Amato said. Prat is in Saudi Arabia, Antonio Fresu rides Queens Command. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.