April, 2021 | Horse Racing Free Tips

As Time Goes By Romps Over Santa Margarita Opponents

She looked a winner every step of the way. The Bob Baffert-trained As Time Goes By, second to Eclipse Champion Swiss Skydiver in her most recent start, was thoroughly dominant from start to finish in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Santa Margarita Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., winning by 9 ¼ lengths. Ridden by Mike Smith, the 4-year-old daughter of 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah got a mile and one eighth in 1:49.95.

A solid second, beaten 2 ¾ lengths by Swiss Skydiver in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile at Santa Anita on March 13, As Time Goes By was quick out of the gate and had well fancied Harvest Moon in pursuit up the backside. Three furlongs out, Smith stepped on the gas with a one-length advantage and when she hit the furlong pole, As Time Goes By was eight lengths in front and well on her way to a rollicking victory.

“I was shocked (to be on the lead), I actually thought the one horse (Pharoah's Heart) and Harvest Moon would show a little more speed,” said Smith, who won last year's Santa Margarita with Paradise Woods and who has won the prestigious fixture for fillies and mares a total of five times. “But today, she actually jumped really quick out of there, and she fell right into stride so nice and I just stayed out of her way.

“…She warmed up really brilliant, acted really good in the gate, stood really well. That was really impressive today, she did that well, well in-hand and galloped out nice. Now Bob can point her just about anywhere he wants to.”

A six-furlong maiden winner three starts back at Los Alamitos Dec. 13, As Time Goes By took a one mile allowance two starts back at Santa Anita by nine lengths on Jan. 17. The heavy favorite today among a field of five older fillies and mares at 3-5, As Time Goes By paid $3.20, $2.40 and $2.10.

“She's by my all-time favorite horse, American Pharoah, and I've taken my time,” said Baffert, who collected his second Santa Margarita win. “The owners have been really patient. She's beautifully bred, and I knew the older she gets, the better she's gonna get. Mike is so great with these good mares and he just gets the most out of (them).

“I was debating on running her next week in Kentucky or here, but because I want to develop her slowly and the Breeders' Cup (at Del Mar) is the main goal, we chose to stay (home)…She's so sweet like her sire. She's the sweetest thing in the barn. I have a soft spot for her, because I think of American Pharoah every time I walk by her stall.”

Owned by Michael B. Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith, As Time Goes By is out of the multiple stakes winning mare Take Charge Lady. With the Santa Margarita serving as her first stakes win, she's now 6-3-2-1 overall. The winner's share of $120,000 increased her earnings to $260,600.

Trained by George Papaprodromou, This Tea was last early, saved ground around the far turn and rallied well to be second, finishing 2 ¼ lengths in front of Harvest Moon. Ridden by Kent Desormeaux, This Tea was the longest shot in the field at 31-1 and paid $10.40 and $9.40.

Ridden by Flavien Prat, Harvest Moon was the second choice at 2-1 and paid $2.20 to show.

Contested for the 83^rd time, dating back to 1935, today's Santa Margarita splits were 23.17, 46.98, 1:11.36 and 1:36.70.

First post time for a 10-race card on Sunday is at 1 p.m.

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Whisper Not Earns First Graded Victory In San Francisco Mile

Sent away the 7-5 favorite under Geovanni Franco, the 4-year-old Poet's Voice colt Whisper Not scored his first graded stakes victory in Saturday's $250,000, Grade 3 San Francisco Mile Stakes at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif. The Grade 1-winning 5-year-old Midnight Lute mare Keeper Ofthe Stars was a stubborn second while taking on males, with Restrainedvengence third, Brown Storm fourth and Border Town fifth in the field of eight older runners.

Trained by Richard Baltas for Electric City Racing, Madaket Stables, Christopher Dunn and Jeremy Peskoff, the English-bred Whisper Not paid $4.80 for the win, his fourth in a 10-race career that began in England in 2019. Whisper Not was purchased at a Tattersalls horses in training sale last August prior to being imported to the United States. He ran the mile on firm turf in 1:35.94.

Diamond Blitz, a 70-1 long shot who almost always races to a big early lead, ran to form, opening up a wide advantage from the outset while setting fractions of :23.51, and :46.58 for the opening half mile. Whisper Not and Keeper Ofthe Stars, along with Kiwi's Dream, raced in the next group some eight lengths behind in the run down the backstretch.

Rounding the far turn, those three inhaled Diamond Blitz, going six furlongs in 1:11.02, and Keeper Ofthe Stars seized a narrow advantage at the top of the stretch.

Franco kept to his task, drawing on even terms with Keeper Ofthe Stars with a furlong to run and inching past that one in the final yards to secure the win by a head. It was two lengths back to Restrainedvengence, who edged Brown Storm by a nose for third.

Trained in England by Richard Hannon, Whisper Not debuted for Baltas at Del Mar last Nov. 29, losing an optional claiming/allowance race by three-quarters of a length. he then ran a good third to Smooth Like Strait in the G2 Mathis Brothers Mile at Santa Anita Dec. 26. Returned to allowance company, Whisper Not finished second at Santa Anita Feb. 6, then won wire to wire over Rip City at Santa Anita on March 6.

Out of the Dansili mare, Poyle Meg, Whisper Not was bred in England by Cecil and Miss Alison Wiggins.

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Wong Finishes 1-2 In California Derby As Stalking Shadow Passes Jimmy Irish In Deep Stretch

Getting a perfect trip in third behind dueling pacesetters, Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' California-homebred Stalking Shadow rallied in deep stretch to win Saturday's $100,000 California Derby over Jonathan Wong-trained stablemate Jimmy Irish at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif.

The 3-year-old colt by Ministers Wild Cat, ridden by Evin Roman, covered 1 1/16 miles on the synthetic Tapeta surface in 1:45.22 and paid $16.20 to win.

Jimmy Irish held second with the John Shirreffs-trained Parnelli, the 4-5 favorite, third in the field of eight 3-year-olds.

Lost in Space, the second choice in the wagering, broke slowly from the inside post position, allowing Jimmy Irish to secure the lead and the rail under Armando Ayuso. Parnelli and jockey Edwin Maldonado were content to sit just off the leader through fractions of :23.73, :48.72 and 1:12.59 for the first six furlongs, then turned up the pressure on the turn for home, drawing up alongside the leader. Those two had at least six lengths on their closest pursuer, Stalking Shadow, who raced comfortably in third as the field straightened into the stretch.

Stalking Shadow fought off Parnelli and appeared to be home free with a sixteenth to run, the mile clocked in 1:38.59, but Stalking Shadow was gaining momentum and caught and passed Jimmy Irish in the final yards to win going away.

The victory was the first stakes win for Stalking Shadow and his fourth victory overall from nine starts. Runner-up Jimmy irish, owned by McShane Racing, was making just his second start, having graduated at first asking in a 5 1/2-furlong sprint at Golden Gate on April 4.

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As Time Goes By Soars in Santa Margarita

Sent off the prohibitive 3-5 favorite against a seemingly overmatched field in Saturday's GII Santa Margarita S. at Santa Anita, Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith's As Time Goes By (American Pharoah) was taken straight to the front by Hall of Famer Mike Smith and reeled off opening fractions of :23.17 and :46.98 as Harvest Moon (Uncle Mo) offered some mild pressure. Well in hand and not doing more than she had to down the backside, the half-sister to 3-year-old champion Will Take Charge was finally given her cue by Smith and picked it up a notch through three-quarters in 1:11.36. Easily drawing clear of her stablemate passing the quarter pole, she powered on all boosters late en route to an eye-catching eight-length victory over 31-1 longshot This Tea (Curlin). Harvest Moon rounded out the trifecta.
“I was shocked [to be on the lead), I actually thought [Pharoah's Heart] and Harvest Moon would show a little more speed,” said Smith, who won last year's Santa Margarita with Paradise Woods and who has won the race a total of five times. “But today, she actually jumped really quick out of there, and she fell right into stride so nice and I just stayed out of her way.”
Smith continued, “She warmed up really brilliant, acted really good in the gate, stood really well. That was really impressive today, she did that well, well in-hand and galloped out nice.”
As Time Goes By needed three starts to get off the duck, but did it in style when scoring by four lengths at Los Alamitos in December. Back in the winner's circle following a flashy nine length win in a Santa Anita allowance Jan. 17, she took some support at 9-5 in the Mar. 13 GI Beholder Mile S. but found champion sophomore filly Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) 2 3/4 lengths too good that day.
Added winning trainer Bob Baffert, “I was debating on running her next week in Kentucky or here, but since I want to develop her slowly and the Breeders' Cup [at Del Mar] is the main goal, we chose to stay [home].”
Baffert also trained As Time Goes By's Triple Crown winning sire, American Pharoah, also conditioned by Baffert.
“She's so sweet like her sire,” he said. “She's the sweetest thing in the barn. I have a soft spot for her, because I think of American Pharoah every time I walk by her stall.”

Pedigree Notes:
As Time Goes By is the last reported foal out of 2013 Broodmare of the Year Take Charge Lady, who has turned just about everything she's touched to gold. Originally a $175,000 yearling at Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky summer sale, Take Charge Lady earned nearly $2.5 million and won three Grade I events. She was sold at the 2004 Keeneland November sale for $4.2 million carrying her first foal, Charming (Seeking the Gold), who would go on to sell as a $3.2-million Keeneland yearling. Charming would become the dam of 2014 champion 2-year-old filly Take Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway) and additional GISW Omaha Beach (War Front). Later foals of Take Charge Lady would include 2013 champion 3-year-old colt Will Take Charge (Unbridled's Song) and 2012 GI Florida Derby winner Take Charge Indy (A.P. Indy), now both Kentucky-based sires.
Like both Charming and Will Take Charge, As Time Goes By is inbred top and bottom to Mr. Prospector, although farther back than either of those half-siblings. As Time Goes By is the 10th graded winner and 15th black-type winner for her Mr. Prospector-line sire, 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. The former Horse of the Year is the leading third-crop sire in North America by earnings, stakes winners, and graded winners. As Time Goes By marks his first stakes winner out of a mare by Dehere, who was the champion 2-year-old colt of 1993 and counts 115 stakes winners out of his daughters, including Breeders' Cup winners Midnight Lute (Real Quiet) and City of Light (Quality Road).

Saturday, Santa Anita Park
SANTA MARGARITA S.-GII, $200,000, Santa Anita, 4-24, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8m, 1:49.95, ft.
1–AS TIME GOES BY, 120, f, 4, by American Pharoah
1st Dam: Take Charge Lady (Broodmare Of The Year, MGISW, $2,480,377), by Dehere
                2nd Dam: Felicita, by Rubiano
                3rd Dam: Grand Bonheur, by Blushing Groom (Fr)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O-Michael
Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier & Derrick Smith; B-Orpendale &
Chelston (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-Mike E. Smith. $120,000.
Lifetime Record: 6-3-2-1, $260,600. *1/2 to Take Charge Indy
(A.P. Indy), GISW, $1,103,496; 1/2 to Will Take Charge
(Unbridled's Song), Ch. 3YO, MGISW, $3,924,648. Werk Nick
   Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–This Tea, 120, f, 4, Curlin–Funny Moon, by Malibu Moon.
($135,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Kretz Racing LLC; B-My
Meadowview LLC (KY); T-George Papaprodromou. $40,000.
3–Harvest Moon, 122, f, 4, Uncle Mo–Qaraaba (GB), by
Shamardal. O-Alice Bamford & Michael B. Tabor; B-Alice
Bamford (KY); T-Simon Callaghan. $24,000.
Margins: 9 1/4, 2 1/4, 11. Odds: 0.60, 31.80, 2.00.
Also Ran: Pharoah's Heart, Clockstrikestwelve.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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