Classy What a View and streaking Pee Wee Reese head Crystal Water

Grade I Winner What a View and streaking Pee Wee Reese head Saturday’s $100,000 Crystal Water Stakes at Santa Anita. Named for the winner of the 1977 Santa Anita Handicap, the Crystal Water, to be contested at one mile on turf, has attracted a field of five California-bred or sired horses three and up.

WHAT A VIEW: A gate to wire winner of the Grade I Frank E. Kilroe Mile (turf) in March, 2016, this hard hitting 6-year-old gelding by Vronsky returns to Santa Anita following a sixth place finish in the Grade I Maker’s 46 Mile (turf) at Keeneland on April 14. Trained by Kenny Black, he was off at 14-1 in the Maker’s and opened up early on the lead but tired late to be beaten three lengths under regular pilot Tyler Baze. Second, beaten a head in this year’s Kilroe two starts back March 11, What a View looms strictly the horse to beat with a return to state-bred competition. Bred in California by Old English Rancho and Patsy and Sal Berumen, he’s owned by Finish Line Racing, LLC, the Elwood Johnston Trust and Taste of Victory Stables. With an overall mark of 19-6-5-0, he has earnings of $764,326.

PEE WEE REESE: A gate to wire one mile turf open allowance race winner here on April 15, this Nick Alexander homebred has earned career-top 96 Beyer Speed figures in his last two starts and will be trying stakes competition for the first time as he seeks his fifth consecutive win for trainer Phil D’Amato. A 4-year-old colt by Tribal Rule out of the Unbridled’s Song mare, Blugrass Belle, Pee Wee Reese, who was named for the late Brooklyn Dodgers Hall of Fame shortstop, is 7-4-1-0 overall with earnings of $179,990.

THE $100,000 CRYSTAL WATER STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 1 of 11 Approximate post time 12 noon PT

1. What a View—Tyler Baze—124

2. Smokey Image—Flavien Prat—122

3. Pee Wee Reese—Joe Talamo—122

4. Burnaroundtheedges—Stewart Elliott—122

5. Grazen Sky—Edwin Maldonado—124