Star Pearl pursued longtime front-runner Before You Know It to the top of the lane before wresting command and drawing away to victory in Nellie Morse Stakes.
Before You Know It had blasted to the front down the backstretch, but Star Pearl stayed on her heels. The two separated from the rest and the race came down to which would have the most in the tank. A Graham Motion trainee, Star Pearl proved to be best, winning by 3 1/4 lengths in 1:46.33 for six furlongs.
Another Motion trainee, Zucchini Flower, finished third.
“She broke nicely and put me in great spot going into the first turn,” Russell said of Star Pearl, a 5-year-old Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Tapit . “The race set up perfect. I was able to sit off the speed and when I asked her to go she dug in and finished up well.”
Star Pearl, who won three of six starts last year, including a restricted stakes at Presque Isle Downs, paid $10.40.