Premier Star made it 2-for-2 with a very impressive allowance victory Jan. 15 at Gulfstream Park, winning the seven furlong contest by 5 1/4-lengths and earning a TDN Rising Star tag.
The chestnut Tapiture 3-year-old was also sharp in his Dec. 8 debut, defeating the very promising Caracaro by nearly two lengths.
Premier Star left little doubt as who was much the best, surging to the front in the first sixteenth of a mile and widening his lead out to two lengths after a half-mile in :45 seconds flat. The Jorge Navarro trainee opened up a bigger margin into the stretch and was eased under the wire to complete the distance in 1:23.15.
“From Day 1, I knew I had something special,” said Navarro. “When I had him at Monmouth, I called the owner and said, ‘This is the real deal.’ Now, it’s the path to the Florida Derby [Mar. 28 at Gulfstream].”
Premier Star is owned by Sonata Stable and was purchased for $100,000 at the OBS June Sale last year. He was bred in Kentucky by Charles Deters and hails from the family of Harlan’s Holiday.
