I Am A Star has delivered the win her trainer Shane Nichols had expected to come two weeks ago.
Things didn’t pan out when the two-year-old made her debut at Caulfield but she lived up to Nichols’ confidence at Flemington to win Saturday’s Phar Lap Club Plate (1100m).
By I Am Invincible out of Star Band, I Am A Star raced in the pack until Steven King took her to the front at the 300m.
She held her rivals comfortably in the run to the line to defeat Sebring Dream by 1-1/2 lengths with a neck to Harlow Gold.
Odds-on favourite Merriest weakened to finish sixth.
“She had trialled up well and we went to Caulfield and thought she could win there,” Nicholls said.
“It just didn’t unfold from a sticky gate in a slowly run race and we got into an awkward spot.”
I Am A Star finished sixth as a $6 chance at Caulfield and was at $16 on Saturday.
“I’ve always thought she was pretty handy,” Nichols said.
“She’s very much bombproof. Her sister (Band On The Run) only won one race and ran a couple of stakes placings in Tasmania in the Gold Sovereign and Elwick Stakes.
“But this is a better filly than her. She could really make the grade as a three-year-old filly.”
Nichols says he may now give I Am A Star a let-up before looking to the future, and King believes there’s upside to the filly.
“She’s a really mature sort of filly and knew what it was all about, even thought it was only her second start,” King said.
