With a well-meant Park Avenue providing a target from the opening bell in Saturday's Grade 3, $200,000 La Canada Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., heavily favored As Time Goes By stalked her to the far turn, took command a quarter mile from the money and prevailed in a thoroughly dominant New Year's Day performance, winning by 13 ½ lengths as Flavien Prat notched his second consecutive stake win and his fifth overall on the day. Prat added a sixth win the day's finale.
Conditioned by Bob Baffert, who got his second stakes win of the day and who was available via telephone from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, As Time Goes By got 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.31.
A winner of a pair of G2 stakes at Santa Anita early last year, As Time Goes By, a 5-year-old mare by American Pharoah, came off a facile 1 ¼-length win in the G3 Bayakoa Stakes at Los Alamitos Dec. 5 and was off as the 3-5 favorite in a field of five older fillies and mares and paid $3.20, $2.20 and $2.10.
“This filly keeps getting better and better with age,” said Baffert. “I'm really excited. She has always been a barn favorite of mine. She's got that American Pharoah temperament. They seem to be late bloomers and she is getting better all the time. I am expecting big things from her from here. She will stay here, and I think the Grade 1 Beholder would be next for her.”
On the strength of two recent wins, Park Avenue, trained by John Sadler, was off as the second choice at 7-2 with Juan Hernandez and paid $3.20 and $2.20 while finishing 4 ¼ lengths in front of Moonlight d'Oro.
Ridden by Mike Smith, Richard Mandella's Moonlight d'Oro was the third choice at 7-2 and paid $2.10 to show while finishing 2 ¾ lengths clear of longshot Fi Fi Pharoah.
Fractions on the race were 23.46, 47.00, 1:11.46 and 1:37.27.
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