FIRST SAMURAI’s Drena’s Star became his sire’s newest stakes winner on Thursday night with a win in the Honor The Hero Stakes at Canterbury Park.
Registering his third victory in five starts this year, Drena’s Star didn’t mind the sloppy track and was among the front runners in the five furlong race when pushing the leader. Hustled through a hole by jockey Lindey Wade as they rounded the turn, Drena’s Star took over the lead. The former leader tried to fight on but Drena’s Star was just toying with him – quickly pulling away in the final furlong to win by 2 ½ lengths as the favorite.
Taking his earnings over $313,000 with the victory, the FIRST SAMURAI son has now won nine times with 10 other top three finishes in 28 starts. Trained by Robertino Diodoro for Randy Marriott and Clayton and Rick Wiest, the gelding was bred by Paul Van Doren in Kentucky.
Drena’s Star is one of four winners from four to race out of stakes winner Starlite Starbrite alongside his two-time winning full sister Perfect Blossom. Starlite Starbrite is out of another stakes winner in Starlight Surprise, who also produced stakes-placed Salty Surprise and the dam of stakes winners La Montanera and Star Mabee.
Value sire FIRST SAMURAI is the sire of 11% stakes horses with five stakes performers in 2021 alone.