Star Guitar wins Delta's Premier again

Loss? What loss? Did Star Guitar really lose a Louisiana-bred stakes race last November at Delta? It says on his running lines that he finished fourth at odds of 1-2 in the Gold Cup on Nov. 5, but nothing about Star Guitar’s previous racing experience, nor his two starts since the Gold Cup loss, offers any kind of key for deciphering the defeat. And after performing his typical dissection of statebred-restricted stakes foes during Louisiana Champions Day on Dec. 11 at Fair Grounds, Star Guitar did the same thing in the $200,000 Premier Night Championship on Saturday night at Delta, drawing off in the stretch for a 1 3/4-length win, his third straight victory in the race.

Racing under jockey Corey Lanerie for the first time in his career, Star Guitar settled into fifth early in the running of the six-horse Championship. The fractions up front were solid, not scorching, with Kissimmee Kyle and Snug alternating through splits of 23.67 seconds, 47.71, and 1:12.81. Two-thirds of the way down the backstretch, there came Star Guitar with a steady outside run. He reached contention midway around the far turn, came into the stretch with a full head of steam, and wore down Snug through the short stretch run. Winning time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:44.15, with the winner paying just $2.40. Snug finished seven lengths clear of third-place Lee’s Spirit.