HEAVILY FAVORED AS TIME GOES BY WINS GRADE I, $500,000 BEHOLDER MILE BY 2 ¼ LENGTHS UNDER PRAT, GETTING THE DISTANCE IN 1:37.55

                ARCADIA, Calif. (March 5, 2022)–A bit slow into stride out of the gate, heavily favored As Time Goes By recovered quickly and set about orchestrating an impressive gate to wire victory in Saturday’s Grade I, $500,000 Beholder Mile at Santa Anita.  Trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Flavien Prat, the 5-year-old mare by Baffert’s 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah won by 2 ¼ lengths over a tenacious Miss Bigly while getting the distance in 1:37.55.

                With expectations running high fresh off a 13 ½ length victory on New Year’s Day, As Time Goes By ran to the betting, notching her first Grade I win and getting her third consecutive stakes win for owners Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith.

                Although she was in control throughout, the Phil D’Amato-trained Miss Bigly loomed ominously while about three lengths back with a furlong to run, but there was no catching the winner.

                A romping winner of the Grade II La Canada Stakes Jan. 1 and a second place finisher to Eclipse Champ Swiss Skydiver in last year’s Beholder Mile, As Time Goes By was off at 1-5 in a field of four older mares and paid $2.60 and $2.20 with no show wagering.

                Out of the Dehere mare Take Charge Lady, As Time Goes By now has five graded stakes wins and has won three out of her four starts at one mile.  With the winner’s share of $300,000, she ran her earnings to $955,600 from and overall mark of 14-7-3-1.

                Miss Bigly, second turning for home, ran a huge race in defeat while finishing seven lengths in front of longshot Varda.  Off at 8-1, she paid $3.80 to place.

                Envoutante, who shipped in from Gulfstream Park for last year’s Beholder-winning trainer Ken McPeek, checked in a distant last as the 5-2 second choice.

                Fractions on the race were 22.76, 46.22, 1:10.60 and 1:24.06.