Premier Star gets first stakes win in Jersey Shore

Premier Star's performance behind two standout colts at Saratoga over the summer hinted that he was a quality runner sitting on a breakout performance. He delivered in the $100,000 Jersey Shore Stakes on Wednesday evening at the Meadowlands-at-Monmouth meeting, rolling by 4 3/4 lengths.

This was the first career stakes victory for Premier Star ($4.20), who has won 4 of 7 starts overall, including 2 of 4 outings since being moved to the care of Michael Trombetta from Jorge Navarro. After winning an allowance-level event Aug. 6 at Laurel Park, the colt stepped up for the Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes on Aug. 29 at Saratoga and was beaten four lengths while third. The winner, Yaupon, came back to win the Chick Lang Stakes at Pimlico to remain unbeaten and is a candidate for the Breeders' Cup Sprint; the runner-up, Basin, was returning to the track where he won the Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes last year.

Off that effort, Premier Star was sent away favored in the Jersey Shore under Paco Lopez. Never more than a length off the lead, the colt bid for the lead along the rail on the far turn, squeezing through an opening. He emerged with a length lead at the quarter pole and continued to widen his advantage from there to the wire. He stopped the clock in 1:09.61 for the six furlongs.

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"These type of horses don’t like to be checked or steadied," Trombetta said. "They just don’t recover from that a lot of times. I’m glad [Lopez] was able to make it work. As tough as his last race was and as well as he ran in my mind that day they still have to run. Every horse race is a different race. A lot of things have to go right to win them. Today was his day.”

Johnny Ritt held second by a neck over Meru. They were followed in the order of finish by He's Smokin Now, Gandy Dancing, Newstome, and As Seen On Tv. The latter, sent away as the second choice while getting class relief and cutting back in distance, dueled for the lead through the opening quarter before giving way.