Buzzards Bay wins All American

ALBANY, Calif. - Buzzards Bay ($6) sat just off Trickey Trevor's fast pace and pulled away late to win the $150,000 Grade 3 on Monday at Golden Gate Fields.

Buzzards Bay broke nicely but was no match early for Trickey Trevor, who got an early jump on the six-horse field. He sat second outside Trickey Trevor under jockey Jose Valdivia Jr.

As the field turned for home, he spurted past Trickey Trevor and lengthened his lead, winning the 1 1/8-mile race by four lengths over Melanyhasthepapers in 1:47.11. Ace Blue was third, another three-quarters of a length back.

"I wanted to get him in the first flight so he'd get no dirt in his face," Valdivia said. "The fractions (22.89, 46.01, 1:09.37) were taxing, but it felt like he was running (one minute) 11 (seconds) under a hold. He really quickened in the lane. I kept after him just to keep his mind on business. He wasn't tired. He galloped out strong."

"He ran his race one race too late," said winning trainer Ron Ellis, who had expected a similar effort before a fourth-place finish in the $1 million Sunshine Millions Classic in the 4-year-old colt's last start.

"We thought he could run in the Santa Anita Handicap, but he wasn't ready mentally. I don't like horses getting beat up so we came here. This is the type of race that can be a confidence builder.

"It's nice to see him bounce back and run the way he could. When he was going so easily down the backstretch, that's the way he looks in the morning when he's working those bullet drills."

Buzzards Bay, who won the Golden Gate Derby here last year before winning the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, earned $82,500 to increase his career earnings to $816,971.