Atta Boy Roy, the odds-on betting favorite, held off Assessment and two-time defending champion Wasserman for a one-length victory Sunday in the $50,000 Governor’s Handicap at Emerald Downs.

With Joe Crispin riding at 117 pounds, Atta Boy Roy ran 6 ½ furlongs in a meet-fastest 1:14.20 and paid $3.60, $2.60 and $2.20. Valorie Lund is the trainer for owners Roy and Ellie Schaefer of Port Orchard, Wash.

Deftly rated on the lead by Crispin, Atta Boy Roy set fractions of :22.20, :44.40 and 1:07.80 en route to the victory. The 4-year-old Washington-bred shook off Margo’s Gift into the lane, opened a 2 ½-length lead in mid-stretch, and then held off the Howard Belvoir-trained brigade of Assessment and Wasserman for the victory.

Assessment, ridden by Gallyn Mitchell at high weight of 120 pounds, was second by a nose and returned $3 and $2.60. Wasserman finished full of run, but the 2008 Longacres Mile winner simply ran out of ground and settled for third place.

Wasserman, with Jennifer Whitaker riding at 118 pounds, paid $3 to show. The $7,500 third-place check increased his track record earnings to $451,162, however he finished behind his stable mate for the fifth straight time this season.

Atta Boy Roy, meanwhile, has yet to finish behind a horse this season at Emerald Downs. Previously campaigned in Arizona and Minnesota, the Tribunal colt made a splashy local debut last month when he equaled the track record of 1:07 2/5 for six furlongs while winning an allowance race by 10 ½ lengths.

Lund, whose only previous Emerald Downs stake victory occurred 10 years ago to the day, said Atta Boy Roy would probably make his next start in the $300,000 Longacres Mile on Aug. 16.

Crispin said the game plan was no great secret.

“My plan was to ride him the same way I rode him last time,” Crispin said. “I think you can do whatever you want with this horse. He probably could’ve given me more if I had asked him. At this point, he seems to be improving with every race. He didn’t stress the extra furlong at all, he’s a happy horse.”

Atta Boy Roy has a 6-4-0 record in a 13-race career that has been plagued by sore feet; the $27,500 winner’s share bumped his earnings to $99,800. The younger brother of 2007 Longacres Mile winner The Great Face cost $4,500 at the 2006 Washington Summer Yearling Sale.

Tritium, a 39-1 longshot, finished fourth and was followed by Reel Prime and Margo’s Gift.

NOTES: Ricky Frazier rode four winners on the 10-race card and has 79 wins in the first 43 days of racing. He remains on pace to break his own mark of 157 wins set in 2007...Seth Martinez was excused from his mounts with a sore knee sustained in a paddock incident Saturday…Seeking Ema, stakes placed three times at the meet, finished third as the 4-5 betting favorite in a maiden special weight captured by Dream Sweeper ($10.60). Purchased for $122,000 at the 2007 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Dream Sweeper’s only previous start was a seventh at 7-2 odds last July in a maiden special weight at Del Mar…Gary Gavica scored his first victory of the meet aboard Cherokee Cole ($8.20) in the first race. A 24-year veteran of the saddle, Gavica spent most of the last two years in Southern California and rode 19 winners this year at Los Alamitos…Emerald Downs is dark Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; racing resumes Thursday with first post at 6 p.m.

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