Regally bred American Pharoah filly wins Grade 2
As Time Goes By (USA) (American Pharoah {USA}) became her sires' newest Graded stakes winner on Saturday when she won the G2 Santa Margarita S. by an easy 9.25l at Santa Anita.
Going off as the favourite for Bob Baffert and the Coolmore partners, the 4-year-old filly immediately took the lead in the 1800 metre dirt race and controlled throughout. Urged by jockey Mike Smith, As Time Goes By happily extended her lead in the stretch with This Tea (USA) (Curlin {USA}) in second 2.25l ahead of Harvest Moon (USA) (Uncle Mo {USA}).
“She’s by my all-time favourite horse, American Pharoah, and I’ve taken my time,” said trainer Bob Baffert. “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 her. I was debating on running her next week in Kentucky or here but because I want to develop her slowly and the Breeders’ Cup is the main goal we chose to stay.”
As Time Goes By is the 15th worldwide stakes winner for Coolmore Australia’s American Pharoah with the stallion having 28 stakes horses from his first two crops.
The filly is the last foal for US Broodmare of the Year Take Charge Lady (USA) (Dehere {USA}), who is also the dam of champion Will Take Charge (USA) (Unbridled’s Song {USA}) and Grade 1 winner Take Charge Indy (USA) (A.P. Indy {USA}). The mare’s influence doesn’t just stop there with her daughter Charming (USA) (Seeking The Gold {USA}) the dam of champion Take Charge Brandi (USA) (Giant’s Causeway {USA}) and Spendthrift Australia’s triple Grade 1 winner Omaha Beach (USA).
Best Of Lips adds to resume in Germany
Successful in a Group 3 at two, Best Of Lips (Ire) (The Gurkha {Ire}) returned a winner in his 3-year-old debut when winning the G3 Dr Busch-Memorial in Germany.
Racing over 1700 metres on the turf, he was kept in midfield by jockey Lukas Delozier until nearly the end. The jockey asked for the colt to show his best inside the final 400 metres and it wasn’t until the final 100 metres that the colt had command of the race. He pulled off a 0.75l victory over Mythico (Fr) (Adlerflug {Ger}) with third placed Lord Charming (Ger) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) 2.25l back in third.
Best Of Lips is out of a winning half-sister to the dam of Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Big Blue (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and his Australian-raced half-brother Beijing Board (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).
British double for Brazen Beau
Brazen Beau had an impressive Saturday showing at Ripon with the stallion seeing two of his runners win the first two races.
Two-year-old Beauzon (GB) improved from his first run when kicking off the card in a 1000 metre juvenile race. Leading from the start, the colt couldn’t have made his victory look any easier as he romped home by 6l under David Nolan with the third placed horse 9l behind the winner.
One race later the stallion’s experienced Stay Smart (GB) didn’t have near the easy run of the first winner but still registered his third career victory. Running over 1000 metres, Stay Smart was always in touch with the leader but didn’t take command until inside the final 200 metres when he passed Virginia Plane (GB) (Mehmas {Ire}) to win by 0.25l in the end.
Beauzon is out of the Exceed And Excel mare Pepper Lane (GB) while Stay Smart hails from the family of Australian Group 1 winner The United States (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). They were two of three winners for the stallion in England with He’s A Keeper (GB) also winning at Wolverhampton by 3.25l with Tom Marquand aboard.
Greysful Glamour relative impressive in maiden
Alabama Boy (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}) made his first start of 2021 a winning one when the colt ran away from the field by 4.5l at Haydock.
Awtaad (Ire) sire of Alabama Boy (Ire) | Standing at Derrinstown Stud
Jockey Hector Crouch moved his colt closer to the front with 600 metres left to run in the 1600 metre affair and turned him loose soon after. Alabama Boy grabbed the lead with just over the final 200 metres left to run and proved to be too much for the field with Menari Bridge (GB) (Cable Bay {Ire}) finishing second, 1.5l ahead of Desert History (GB) (New Approach {Ire}).
The 3-year-old finds multiple Group winner Greyful Glamour (Stratum) and her Group 2-placed half-sister Celestial Falls (Hinchinbrook) among those in his family with multiple Australian Group winner Libran (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) one generation further back than that pair.
Flightline dazzles on debut
Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, Summer Wind Equine, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing's Flightline (USA) (Tapit {USA}) turned in one of the more impressive debut performances in recent memory on Saturday at Santa Anita to stamp himself as a no brainer TDN Rising Star.
Jane Lyon's Summer Wind purchased dam Feathered (USA) for US$2.35 million (AU$3,033,431) at the 2016 Keeneland November sale.
The John Sadler pupil and US$1 million (AU$1,290,822) Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad broke perhaps a half-step slowly but quickly rushed up through horses, and cantered to the wire from there to win by 13.3l.
