ARCADIA, Calif. (April 9, 2005) Fog City Stable's Buzzard Bay upset the filly Sweet Catomine to win the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby (GI) on Saturday at odds of 30-1, giving trainer Jeff Mullins his third straight victory in the event.

Buzzards Bay attended the early pace set by another long shot, Customer, and was running second entering the backstretch. Buzzards Bay took the lead at the half-mile pole and maintained a head advantage at the top of the stretch and held off second place finisher, 60-1 outsider, General John B by a half-length at the wire. Breeder's Cup Juvenile winner Wilko finished a respectable third after racing wide throughout.

Trainer of Buzzards Bay, Jeff Mullins said, "If I was a betting man I wouldn't be training any more," an obvious reference to the big price his protégé paid at the windows.

Winning rider, Mark Guidry, responded, "Me and Jeff discussed the race and thought he'd show speed if he broke well. This horse has so much determination and heart. It was a rush, man, because I knew they were coming at me from both sides, and he's a fighter," Guidry added, "He dug in and every time I'd ask him he was answering. I'm just grateful to be able to be here. I like it here in California."

Mullins, after being asked about his plans with Buzzard's Bay in regards to the Kentucky Derby, stated, "We'll see how he comes out of this one but this is the third year in a row and there is no sense of stopping now."

"I'm a little out of breath," said Bill Bianco, partner in Fog City Stable with David Shimmon, after the race. "We'll go to Kentucky if everything's all right."

Buzzards Bay covered the 1-1/8 miles in 1:49.18 and paid $62.20, $21.80 and $10.80. General John B, Jon Court rider, paid $40.40 and $15.60. Wilko with Frankie Dettori up, paid $4.20 to show. The exacta returned $751.40 for a $1.00 ticket and the superfecta with Giacomo finishing fourth, a whopping $27,460.20

Sweet Catomine, the even-money favorite, broke well and was running fourth early. She got bumped around entering the backstretch and made a mild move around the far turn only to lack the needed response in the stretch drive to finish fifth, beaten nine lengths in the eleven horse field.

Owner Marty Wygod had to think twice about running with the boys since Sweet Catomine bled after her latest workout. "In my heart I felt not to run but yesterday we made up our mind," Wygod said. "She's not going to the (Kentucky) Oaks or the Derby. I can't say what's next for her."

Sweet Catomine's rider Corey Nakatani stated, "I moved her out on the far turn, started moving her outside by the time I got to the 5/16 pole she just acted like I didn't have any horse left, that's not her, I know that. Normally you just ask her to go and she just picks it up on her own and gets in the bridle. Today she was just flat."

Mullins became the first trainer in the sixty-eight year history of the Santa Anita Derby to win three consecutive times. Trainers Bob Baffert and D. Wayne Lukas have each won four Santa Anita Derbies, but not in succession. Mullins won in 2003 with Buddy Gil and last year with another 30-1 shot, Castledale.

Buzzards Bay, the son of Marco Bay, has now won three times in eight career starts and earned $450,000 for the win, bringing his total earnings to $559,440.

After Saturday's impressive seventeen and a half-length, track record equaling victory by the Nick Zito trained Bellamy Road in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct solidified who's best in the east. The west coast's contenders for the Kentucky Derby seem still very much in question.

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