As Time Goes By, Harvest Moon try to regain lost glory in Bayakoa Stakes

Last spring, As Time Goes By and Harvest Moon seemed poised to take leading roles in California’s older female division.

As Time Goes By was second to 2020 champion 3-year-old filly Swiss Skydiver in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile in March at Santa Anita. Harvest Moon was fourth in the Beholder, and had finished third in the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Keeneland.

Nearly nine months later, the two 4-year-old fillies start in Sunday’s Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes at Los Alamitos in an effort to revive their careers. The $100,000 Bayakoa for fillies and mares is essentially an early starting point for 2022 campaigns.

:: Get Daily Racing Form Past Performances – the exclusive home of Beyer Speed Figures.

As Time Goes By won consecutive Grade 2 races at Santa Anita in April and May before her form tailed off. She finished eighth of 11 at 31-1 in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 6 at Del Mar for trainer Bob Baffert.

Harvest Moon’s season was interrupted by bleeding incidents in the spring, including in a third-place finish behind As Time Goes By in the Grade 2 Santa Margarita Stakes in April. The Bayakoa is her first start since April.

Harvest Moon was expected to start in the $100,000 Seashell Stakes at Del Mar last month before a minor foot issue surfaced.

“That seems behind her now,” trainer Simon Callaghan said. “She’s been training consistently for a while. She seems pretty ready off a layoff. We’re looking forward to getting back started.”

Owned by Alice Bamford and Michael Tabor, Harvest Moon will be ridden for the first time by Mike Smith, who won two stakes aboard As Time Goes By earlier this year. Smith is likely to have Harvest Moon close to the front, and perhaps on the lead.

Callaghan said the bleeding issues that plagued Harvest Moon are gone.

“We needed to reset with her,” Callaghan said. “She seems to be doing good and happy. We’re coming into this without issues.

“She’s pretty tractable. I think we’re pretty versatile. It will be interesting to see how Bob’s filly runs.”

As Time Goes By, who breaks from the rail, will be ridden for the first time by Flavien Prat, who had ridden Harvest Moon in seven of her eight starts. In the BC Distaff, As Time Goes By was within a length of the lead on the turn under Luis Saez, but faded rapidly through the stretch.

The Bayakoa is the last of nine races on Sunday and drew a field of seven, including Stellar Sound, third in the 2020 Bayakoa; the promising 3-year-old Moonlight d’Oro; and the multiple stakes winner Warren’s Showtime. The outsiders Bye Bye Bertie and Lisette are the other runners.

Moonlight d’Oro won the Grade 2 Las Virgenes Stakes at Santa Anita last February before she was sidelined with an injury. Trained by Richard Mandella, Moonlight d’Oro was second in the Seashell Stakes at 1-2 on Nov. 3 after stumbling at the start.