Starrer rules in Princess

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Starrer gave owner George Krikorian his first win in a graded stakes in Saturday's $100,000 Princess Stakes at Hollywood Park.

Ridden by Chris McCarron for trainer David Hofmans, Starrer caught Love at Noon, the 3-5 favorite, in deep stretch to win the Grade 2 Princess Stakes by 1 1/2 lengths.

Starrer ($9.80) ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.90. Affluent finished third, 1 1/2 lengths behind Love at Noon.

Affluent led to the final turn when Love at Noon challenged along the rail. Starrer was fifth early, but moved up to third on the final turn. McCarron swung Starrer wide in early stretch and caught Love at Noon in the final sixteenth.

"I like the feeling she gave me at the sixteenth pole," McCarron said. "She was kind of slowly getting to the leader and then - boom! - all of a sudden, she ran by her."

The Princess Stakes, a prep for the Grade 2 Hollywood Oaks on July 14, was Starrer's second stakes win. She broke her maiden in the Santa Paula Stakes last April at Santa Anita.

Krikorian, the owner of a Southern California theater chain, bought Starrer for $35,000 as a weanling. He has approximately 50 horses of all ages.