Trainer Jose Sanchez knows from experience that winning stakes reason is rarely easy. But there are always exceptions, and J J Zo Zo’s 8½-length romp in Saturday’s $100,000 Smoke Glacken Stakes at Monmouth Park – the first stakes win in Sanchez’ career – was one of them.

One of two Jersey-breds in the eight-horse field of 2-year-olds, J J Zo Zo broke sharply from post position one, cruised to early fractions of :22.56 and :46.19 and then never faced a threat as the odds-on favorite.

The winning time for the six furlongs was 1:11.27.

A year ago, Jersey-bred Book’em Danno won the Smoke Glacken to launch a career that has seen him become a Grade 1 winner.

“I always felt he would be a good horse and now he is starting to show it,” said Sanchez, who started training in 2016 and is 9-for-25 at the Monmouth Park meet. “This is why we get up in the mornings. To win two races today and to get my first stakes win is a great feeling.

“He’s a big, heavy horse who needed some time but the talent was always there. I went into the race thinking he would run well but I did not expect him to win like he did. That surprised me.”

A son of prominent state sire Sea Wizard, J J Zo Zo started his career with a third-place finish against state-bred company followed by a troubled fifth-place finish, also against Jersey-breds.

He broke through with a game win in his last start on Aug. 25 at Monmouth Park.

“He’s a horse I felt would need some time,” said jockey Jairo Rendon, who has ridden J J Zo Zo in three of his four career starts. “Before his first start I breezed him. He’s a big horse, a heavy horse. I knew he would like some distance but that he would need some time to grow and develop. He likes to fight. Today he made it easy. Before this he was just getting experience. Now that he has a little he is able to show his natural speed. I think he is going to be a good horse.”

Runner-up Shootersgottashoot and third-place finisher Antisocial, another 1¾ lengths back, spent the entire race chasing J J Zo Zo in vain.

Neither Sanchez nor Rendon were concerned about J J Zo Zo facing open company for the first time.

“I wasn’t really worried about him facing open company for the first time,” said Rendon. “I expected him to run good. But he did surprise me a little with how he made the lead so easily and then he just kept going.”

Owned and bred by Jose Garcia, J J Zo Zo paid $3.60 to win.

“We were waiting for him to show speed and today he did,” said Sanchez. “One of the first times I worked him from the gate he worked with two other horses and he went 47-flat to the half so I knew the speed was there. He has really put it together his last two races.”