ALBANY -- The 3-year-old filly You Lift Me Up, jockey Frank Alvarado and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer etched their names in the thoroughbred racing history books Sunday by winning the last race ever run at Bay Meadows.

Before a closing-forever crowd of 10,026, You Lift Me Up took command from pacesetter Tiz Madison in the stretch and scored a 2 1/2-length victory in the $63,450 Last Dance Stakes.

A 1 1/16-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies, the Last Dance Stakes was the 10th and final race of the 2008 San Mateo County Fair meeting and the last heat ever contested at the historic San Mateo horse racing venue that opened in 1934 and ranked as California's oldest major racetrack.

"I was very excited to win the last race at Bay Meadows," said Alvarado, who vigorously waved his whip in the air after crossing the finish line in front of his five rivals. "I wish it wasn't the last one - I wish Bay Meadows wasn't closing. But it was the last one and I was happy I won it. I'll never forget this win. It will be in my head for the rest of my career."

It was only appropriate that the final race was won by a horse trained by Hollendorfer, who captured 37 straight training titles at Bay Meadows from 1986 through 2008.

"I'm happy to win the last race at Bay Meadows because I spent a lot of my career there," said Hollendorfer, who established himself in Northern California and now maintains racing stables in both the Bay Area and Southern California.

Hollendorfer, the fourth winningest trainer in North American thoroughbred racing history with more than 5,100 victories, rooted on You Lift Me Up from his stable office at Del Mar in San Diego County. "I watched the race on TVG (Television Games Network) from my tack room," said Hollendorfer.

You Lift Me Up, owned in partnership by Hollendorfer and George Todaro, won the Last Dance Stakes in 1:44.44 and paid $9.20 to win.