McPeek Eyes Another Beholder Title with Envoutante

The scene was eerily similar, but a little bit different, in last year's Beholder Mile Stakes (G1) for trainer Kenny McPeek.

Last year, McPeek shipped in the brilliant Swiss Skydiver , fresh off a historic sophomore campaign that saw the filly defeat the boys in the 2020 Preakness Stakes (G1), to make her 4-year-old debut in the Beholder Mile. She faced a rising star from the Bob Baffert barn by the name of As Time Goes By , and repelled that one's challenge down the lane for a 2 3/4-length victory. This year, McPeek enters the multiple graded stakes-winning Envoutante  in the $500,00 Beholder Mile to kick off her 5-year-old season.

While Swiss Skydiver has since been retired, her old rival As Time Goes By returns better than ever in this year's running of the March 5 Beholder Mile for older fillies and mares at Santa Anita Park. The Coolmore-owned daughter of American Pharoah   has been flawless in two starts since an off-the-board effort in a wild running of the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1). In her last trip to the post, As Time Goes By seized the lead at the half-mile pole and simply demolished her foes in the Jan. 1 La Canada Stakes (G3) over the Santa Anita strip.

Following the La Canada, Baffert said: "(As Time Goes By) keeps getting better and better with age. I'm really excited. She has always been a barn favorite of mine. She's got that American Pharoah temperament. They seem to be late bloomers and she is getting better all the time. I am expecting big things from her from here."

The 5-year-old mare has sizzled through her morning drills leading into the Beholder Mile. She clocked back-to-back bullet works Feb. 19 and Feb. 26, the latter a five-furlong move in :59.40, the fastest of 52 works that morning at Santa Anita.

Accompanied once more by the red-hot Flavien Prat, As Time Goes By will be eyeing her first grade 1 score Saturday.

She'll have to defeat a proper adversary in the McPeek-trained Envoutante first, however.

Three Chimneys Farm and Walking L Thoroughbreds' Envoutante, an earner of $931,658 in her career, will seek to add the coveted laurel of grade 1 victress to her résumé in addition to handing her trainer consecutive Beholder Mile titles. Flying into Santa Anita from McPeek's Gulfstream Park winter home base, the 5-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo  , making her first trip to the West Coast in the Beholder, has been away from the races since a six-length romp in the Nov. 25 Falls City Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs.

Breaking from the far outside post in a field of 6, John Velazquez has the call on Envoutante.

Not to be ignored is the Phil D'Amato trainee Miss Bigly , fresh off a score in the Feb. 12 Bayakoa Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park. Second to Coach  in her 2022 debut in the Jan. 8 Pippin Stakes in the Hot Springs slop, Miss Bigly turned the tables on that rival when stretching out to 1 1/16 miles in the Bayakoa. Cutting back to a mile for the Beholder, the consistent Gemologist  mare has hit the board in her last nine starts and has bankrolled $641,242 thus far for Agave Racing Stable, Living The Dream Stables, and Rockin Robin Racing Stables.

"(Miss Bigly) had a good breeze, :59 and change (officially 1:00 for five furlongs on Feb. 27 at Santa Anita) and she's ready to go," said D'Amato. "Ramon Vazquez, who won the Bayakoa on her, will fly in to ride her in the Beholder."

Also entered from the Baffert barn is Baoma Corp.'s Varda , unraced since capturing the 2020 Starlet Stakes (G1) at Los Alamitos Race Course in her third start as a juvenile. The $700,000 Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training purchase has been following a steady work pattern in the mornings, but will face a tall task off the 14-month layoff on Saturday.

Completing the field is David A. Bernsen, Jeffrey Lambert, and Richard Hale Jr.'s Founder's Day , a longshot Saturday up against this field who enters off a third-place showing in a Feb. 27 starter optional claiming contest at Santa Anita for trainer Robert Hess Jr.

Entries: Beholder Mile S. (G1)

Santa Anita Park, Saturday, March 05, 2022, Race 9

• Grade I
• 1m
• Dirt
• $500,000
• 4 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 4:00 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Varda (NY)	Juan J. Hernandez	120	Bob Baffert	6/1
98	2Moonlight d'Oro (KY)	SCRATCHED	0	UNKNOWN	-
2	3As Time Goes By (KY)	Flavien Prat	122	Bob Baffert	4/5
3	4Founder's Day (KY)	Ryan Curatolo	120	Robert B. Hess, Jr.	30/1
4	5Miss Bigly (KY)	Ramon A. Vazquez	122	Philip D'Amato	5/1
5	6Envoutante (KY)	John R. Velazquez	122	Kenneth G. McPeek	8/5