Stanley Park wins Bay Meadows Derby

SAN MATEO, Calif. - Stanley Park ($16.80) sat well back in the field, moved four wide on the second turn and unleashed a strong stretch run to win the $100,000 Grade 3 at Bay Meadows on Saturday.

Stanley Park drew even with favored Bis Repetitas early in the stretch but pulled away effortlessly to win the 1 1/8-mile turf race by 2 1/2 lengths winning in 1:48.97. Kewen finished third.

"This was our objective since Del Mar," winning trainer John Shirreffs said.

The colt was third in one division of the Oceanside Handicap but was sixth in the Grade 3 La Jolla.

Shirreffs, who scratched Stanley Park from the Sept. 27 Half Moon Bay Handicap here, instead ran the colt in a tough race against older at Santa Anita as a prep.

"He's somewhat difficult to train," Shirreffs said. "It's easier to run him in a race than train him."

Shirreffs had jockey Eric Saint-Martin sit back with the colt despite the apparent lack of pace going into the race. Eyad took the lead from the rail and went evenly through moderate fractions early while being stalked by Kewen.

"I've seen a lot of horses win on the front end here, but that wasn't my concern," Shirreffs said. "I'm a great believer in letting a horse run his own race.

"This is the first time I've ridden Eric. He just got back from France. I thought it would be a great opportunity for him coming off the pace, and he'd feel comfortable doing it."

The victory, worth $55,000, was the third in seven starts for the $240,000 yearling purchase for Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Moss. His lifetime earnings are now $123,316.