As Time Goes By Finds Winning Form Again In Bayakoa

The last time As Time Goes By saw the inside of the winner's circle was after her win in the Grade 2 Santa Maria May 22 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. In the Bayakoa, the daughter of American Pharoah found her winning form again, taking the G3 stakes after shaking off a challenge from Warren's Showtime in the Los Alamitos stretch.

With the scratch of Lisette, the Bayakoa field was down to six, with As Time Goes By facing Warren's Showtime, second in her last start in the Betty Grable, and Moonlight d'Oro, a last-out second to Livingmybestlife in the Seashell at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif. After an even break, Harvest Moon showed her head in front first, with As Time Goes By stalking on the rail and Bye Bye Bertie on the outside in third. They stayed one-two-three around the first turn and into the backstretch, with Stellar Sound boldly moving to the lead in the last part of the backstretch. As Time Goes By went with her, these two entering the far turn with As Time Goes By on the lead.

Into the stretch at the Cypress, Calif., track, As Time Goes By was able to shake off Stellar Sound, who gave way to a surging Warren's Showtime on the outside. As Time Goes By did not let her challenger by, holding off Warren's Showtime to win by 1 1/4 lengths. Moonlight d'Oro was third and Stellar Sound fourth.

The final time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:42.97. Find this race's chart here.

As Time Goes By paid $4.20, $3.00, and $2.10. Warren's Showtime paid $4.40 and $2.80. Moonlight d'Oro paid $2.40.

“She was going well the entire way. I actually think (Warren's Showtime) got about a neck ahead of me in midstretch, but she regrouped and really dug in. She was very game,'' jockey Flavien Prat said after the Bayakoa.

“I love this filly. I love (wife) Jill No. 1 and this filly No. 2. My two favorite girls. They went so fast early, I was afraid of the runner-up (Warren's Showtime) who is a really good horse, and I was hoping (As Time Goes By) would have something left. I've always been high on her. I'm hoping she runs as a 5-year-old because I'd really like to win a Grade 1 with her and I know she can. (Owners Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith) said if she's doing well, they will keep her in training,'' trainer Bob Baffert said after the race.

Bred in Kentucky by Orpendale and Chelston, As Time Goes By is out of the Dehere mare Take Charge Lady, a multiple G1 stakes winner and dam of 2013 Travers Stakes winner Will Take Charge. The 4-year-old filly is owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith. With her win in the G3 Bayakoa, As Time Goes By has four wins in nine starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of five wins in 12 starts and career earnings of $535,600.

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As Time Goes By Will Face Six Others In Sunday’s Bayakoa

Two-time Grade 2 winner As Time Goes By will have six rivals in her return to Los Alamitos in the $100,000-guaranteed Bayakoa Stakes Sunday.

A Grade 3 for fillies and mares (3-year-olds & up) at 1 1/16 miles, the Bayakoa will be run for the fifth time at Los Alamitos.

Post time Sunday is 12:30 p.m. The Bayakoa is the last of nine races and has an approximate post time of 4:28 p.m.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert for Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, As Time Goes By will get some class relief after finishing eighth of 11 in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Distaff Nov. 6 at Del Mar.

A 4-year-old American Pharoah filly out of the Dehere mare Take Charge Lady, As Time Goes By earned her biggest victories in a span of four weeks at Santa Anita earlier this year. She captured the Santa Margarita April 24 and the Santa Maria May 23.

The dark bay filly broke her maiden by four lengths in her lone start at Los Alamitos, defeating six opponents at six furlongs last Dec. 13. She's 4-for-11 with earnings of $475,600.

Baffert will be seeking his second Bayakoa win locally as he took the inaugural running with Tiz Midnight in 2014.

Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella, who won the 2017 Bayakoa with Majestic Heat, will be represented Sunday by Moonlight d'Oro.

Owned by MyRachorse and Spendthrift Farm LLC, the 3-year-old Medaglia d'Oro filly was runner-up as the odds-on choice in a restricted stakes at Del Mar Nov. 3 after nine months on the sidelines.

Out of the Bernardini mare Venetian Sonata, Moonlight d'Oro has won twice in five starts and banked $183,790. Her biggest win came in the Grade 3 Las Virgenes Feb. 6.

Benjamin and Sally Warren's homebred Warren's Showtime will make her Los Alamitos debut for trainer Craig Lewis.

The California bred daughter of Clubhouse Ride and the Affirmative mare Warren's Veneda has been effective on turf and dirt, winning eight of 23. The 4-year-old has earned $794,431.

Harvest Moon will make her first start for Tabor and breeder Alice Bamford and trainer Simon Callaghan since finishing distant third behind As Time Goes By in the Santa Margarita.

A daughter of Uncle Mo and the Shamardal mare Qaraba, the 4-year-old has four wins in eight attempts and has banked $382,720. She graduated at Los Alamitos in her second career start July 3, 2020.

Third as the favorite in the 2020 Bayakoa won by Proud Emma, Stellar Sound will be making her first start since finishing sixth of eight in the Grade 2 Zenyatta Oct. 3.

Owned by breeder Don Alberto Stable and trained by Michael McCarthy, the 4-year-old gray daughter of Tapit and the Unbridled's Song mare Siren Serenade has won three of nine and earned $194,200. A win Sunday would be her first in a graded event.

Trainer Paddy Gallagher will send out Lisette for breeders Aaron and Harrison Sones. The 3-year-old Uncle Mo filly out of the Unbridled mare Cordoba has one win in five starts and earnings of $55,820. She has been idle since finishing a well-beaten fourth in the Grade 3 Torrey Pines Stakes Aug. 21.

A decisive winner against optional claimers Oct. 11 in her first for trainer Leonard Powell after being claimed for $40,000 seven weeks earlier, Bye Bye Bertie will make her Los Alamitos and graded stakes debut for a partnership that includes Gatto Racing LLC, All Schlaich Stables LLC, James Cahill, Brian Kahn, Mathilde Powell and Arthur Spencer.

The 5-year-old daughter of Affirmative and the Ready's Image mare Dream of Bertie has won seven of 18 and banked $230,888.

From inside out, the field for the Bayakoa Stakes: As Time Goes By, Flavien Prat rides, 124 pounds; Harvest Moon, Mike Smith, 124; Bye Bye Bertie, Abel Cedillo, 119; Warren's Showtime, Juan Hernandez, 121; Lisette, Kyle Frey, 116; Stellar Sound, Kent Desormeaux, 119 and Moonlight d'Oro, Drayden Van Dyke, 118.

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Bella Vita Gets Easy Win In Betty Grable At Del Mar

Wins don't come much prettier than this one for the aptly named Bella Vita, who took advantage of a fast track and an easy pace to take the Betty Grable Stakes at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif.

In the Cal-bred only stakes, Big Sweep got out to an early lead, with Fi Fi Pharoah and favorite Bella Vita pressing the pace. Through early fractions of :23.20 for the first quarter and :46.17 for the half-mile, Big Sweep maintained a short lead, as Bella Vita moved up to second approaching the far turn.

Bella Vita and jockey Flavien Prat pulled even with Big Sweep on the turn, taking over the lead as the field entered the stretch. At the wire, Bella Vita was 1 1/2 lengths to the good, with Warren's Showtime making her bad late to take second over Big Sweep.

The final time for the seven furlongs was 1:22.23. Find this race's chart here.

Bella Vita paid $3.20, $2.20, and $2.10. Warren's Showtime paid $3.00 and $2.20. Big Sweep paid $2.40.

“We had a good trip. I got a good spot and we were able to move when it was right. She ran well and we finished up well,” Prat said after the race.

“Nice bookends to the weekend. (Callaghan-trained Astronomer was a $62.60 winner in Friday's $150,000 Qatar Golden Mile). The two horses ran well. This looked like a good opportunity (for Bella Vita) back on dirt. She's definitely a dirt filly. We tried turf last time because it was a restricted Cal-bred race but she shows she's a decent dirt filly and this was a good spot for her,” Simon Callaghan told the Del Mar press office after the Betty Grable.

Bred in California by Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings Inc., Bella Vita is by Bayern out of the Storm Cat mare Queenie Cat. Trained by Simon Callaghan, the 4-year-old filly is owned by Kaleem Shah Inc. Bella Vita was consigned by Harris Training Center and sold to KSI for $400,000 at the April 2019 Ocala Breeders' Sale Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds In Training. With her win in the Betty Grable, the filly has three wins in nine starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of 13-4-5-1 and career earnings of $346,722.

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Warren’s Showtime Best In California Distaff At Santa Anita

Classy Warren's Showtime overcame a pedestrian pace and rallied from last to take Saturday's $100,000 California Distaff Handicap for owner/breeders Ben and Sally Warren and trainer Craig Lewis at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. An ultra-consistent chestnut filly by top sire Clubhouse Ride, Warren's Showtime, in her first try down the track's hillside turf course, went about 6 ½ furlongs under Juan Hernandez in 1:13.76.

Last after the first half mile but only about four lengths off the lead, Warren's Showtime, who was shortening up out of five consecutive turf miles, loomed ominously as the field made the dirt crossing at the top of the lane and sliced her way through traffic in what was to become her seventh career stakes victory.

“I wasn't confident when I saw the first quarter, but I could see Juan was confident, so that gave me some hope,” said Lewis, who also conditioned millionaire Clubhouse Ride and Warren's Showtime's Grade I winning dam, Warren's Veneda. “(It) made me think maybe. Once she got into gear, I knew she'd get there…Another Clubhouse Ride, they just run.”

Overlayed at 2-1 off of her morning line of 9-5 in a field of six fillies and mares, Warren's Showtime paid $6.80, $3.80, and $2.80.

With the Distaff winner's share of $60,000, Warren's Showtime boosted her earnings to $775,431 from an overall mark of 22-8-2-10.

“I knew the pace wasn't that fast, but she was in the bridle and pulling,” said Hernandez, who has been aboard for her last nine races. “That's the way she likes to run and she came with a big run today. She's a nice filly, very consistent.”

The Warrens, who came in from their Las Vegas base to watch today's Distaff, were understandably elated with their homebred star.

“It's just been unbelievable and (Ben) has had so many horses, but not one that has been so consistent as 'Showtime,'” said Sally Warren. “We were just saying, 19 out of 21 starts and she's hit the board and that's unbelievable…We are really, really thankful. Craig picked her out at the farm, now we know (why).”

Although it was expected that speedy Anna Fantastic would make the early lead, most observers felt she'd be pressed by eventual favorite Bella Vita through quick early splits, but with Bella Vita taking a more conservative approach, moderate hillside fractions of :22.90, :45.99, and 1:08.14 resulted and it was Sedamar, who was second to the dirt crossing, who prevailed for the place by a half-length over Anna Fantastic.

Ridden by Joe Bravo, Sedamar was off at 7-1 and paid $6.60 and $4.40.

Anna Fantastic, off at 4-1 with Edwin Maldonado up, paid $3.60 to show while finishing 2 ¼ lengths clear of even-money favorite Bella Vita.

The California Distaff Handicap is part of the lucrative CTBA sponsored Golden State Series for eligible California-bred or sired fillies and mares three and up.

The Distaff marked win number two on the day with two races remaining for Hernandez, giving him 10 for the meet—five back of Flavien Prat, who has 15 wins through nine racing days.

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

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