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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