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He was already a celebrity in downtown Asbury Park, and now Jake the greyhound has gone national.

The 3-year-old greyhound-in-residence at Asbury Bark, a pet boutique at 535 Bangs Ave., represented his breed in the hound group competition Monday night during the live national television broadcast of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden.

Alas, he didn’t win — heavily favored Uno, the nation’s No. 1 large beagle, did, advancing to tonight’s Best in Show competition — but he distinguished himself just the same, having emerged as Westminster’s best greyhound earlier in the day Monday, besting seven other dogs.

“He beat the top greyhound in the country,” his co-owner Jeff Winton, 50, said after the breed judging. “He showed really well. He loves life. He’s always walking up and down Cookman Avenue.”

Winton’s partner, Jim Modica, 51, opened Asbury Bark three years ago. The couple own a house on Fourth Avenue in Asbury Park as well as a 7-acre farm in Long Valley, Morris County.

“So he’s got the best of both worlds,” Winton said, referring to Jake’s love of romping in the countryside and running along the boardwalk.

Modica and Winton, who also showed a whippet named Matthew on Monday, have shown dogs for the past 17 years and have competed at Westminster at least seven times previously, but Jake was the first to win best of breed. He won best of opposite sex in the greyhound competition at Westminster last year.

Modica and Winton co-own Jake with Vanessa Weber of Connecticut.

After the breed judging, Jake, whose official name is Ch. Classic Field of Dreams, took a well-deserved snooze in his crate in the benching area in the lower level of Madison Square Garden, while Winton accepted congratulations and Modica called friends and customers on his cell phone to spread the good news.

“I’m thrilled,” Modica said. “He walked in the ring, his tail was wagging, his head was up. He loves it.”

Jake’s win propelled him to the hound group final, where he was up against 25 other best-of-breeds winners, including Link, a smooth-haired standard dachshund owned by Josh Caporale and Fred and Carol Vogel of Waretown.