Chad Brown, a 29-year-old Mechanicville native, won the first race of the 140th Saratoga meeting early this afternoon -- his first starter ever at his hometown track.

A former assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel, Brown saddled Star Player to a 2 1/2-length victory over Saint Barr in a race originally carded for a mile on the inner turf course but moved to seven furlongs on a sloppy main track.

A 3-year-old Tale of the Cat colt owned by Gary and Mary West, Star Player ran in 1:25.05. Sent off at 5-1, he returned $12.20 for a $2 win bet.

Facing winners for the first time after breaking his maiden June 21, it was the second win in seven career starts for Star Player, and second in a row. He earned the winner's share of $39,600 from the $66,000 purse.

"It feels good. It's been a lot of hard work," Brown said in the winner's circle following the race. "I waited a long time to run horses here, so I tried to make sure the first couple I ran were live. I lucked out. I spent a lot of years in the paddock just hoping to get in here, so it's special."

Brown has 10 horses on the grounds and another 20 stabled at Monmouth Park, and plans to rotate them between spots.

"I'm not just here for the scenery; I want to win," he said. "I have a lot of friends and family who came out. It's good to see them all. I"ve been away a long time, so I guess they didn't forget about me."