On May 22, As Time Goes By picked up her second Grade 2 win of the season with a game performance in the Santa Maria Stakes (USA-G2). Also Grade 1-placed earlier this year, the 4-year-old daughter of American Pharoah will undoubtedly get another chance at Grade 1 company in hopes of adding to her already considerable cachet as a multiple graded stakes winner produced from a Kentucky Broodmare of the Year.
As Time Goes By is the last foal of Take Charge Lady, who was a lot more than just another pretty face in the paddocks. Before she was a top broodmare she was a racehorse, and a highly capable one. A two-time winner of the Spinster Stakes (USA-G1) at Keeneland (her favorite track), she also won the 2002 Ashland Stakes (USA-G1) at the same venue. She won three more graded stakes during her racing career and placed four times in Grade 1 races, including a second in the 2002 Kentucky Oaks.
A half sister to listed stakes winner Commendation (by Capote) and multiple restricted stakes winner Eventail (by Lear Fan; dam of Grade 2 winner Straight Story), Take Charge Lady has a pedigree that, while not highly fashionable, was quite solid in terns of its breeding and racing quality. Her sire Dehere, a son of American champion sire Deputy Minister, was the American champion 2-year-old male of 1993 and became a useful stallion, siring 80 stakes winners and the winners of over US$104 million. Her dam, unraced Felicita, was sired by 1992 American champion sprinter Rubiano (by Fappiano), a member of the family of the important sires Tapit and Relaunch and a fairly good stallion himself with 33 stakes winners (from 510 named foals) and the earners of over US$40 million to his credit. The next dam in Take Charge Lady's direct female line is Grand Bonheur, a daughter of the excellent racer and sire Blushing Groom. Grand Bonheur was not a particularly good racehorse or broodmare herself, but she is a granddaughter of the Double Jay mare Times Two, the foundation of a respectable family.
Take Charge Lady had the racing performance to get bookings to elite stallions, and with the help of those opportunities she gave her family's reputation a considerable boost, beginning with her first foal, the Seeking the Gold mare Charming. Bred to Giant's Causeway, Charming produced 2014 American champion 2-year-old filly Take Charge Brandi as her second foal. She later produced three-time Grade 1 winner Omaha Beach (by War Front) as her fifth and last named foal, and both her daughters are now young broodmares.
It took three years after Charming's birth before Take Charge Lady produced another important foal, but that one was 2012 Florida Derby (USA-G1) winner Take Charge Indy (by A.P. Indy). Sold to South Korea after standing his first three seasons at WinStar Farm, he ranked highly on the second and third-crop sire lists when members of his Kentucky-sired crops got into action, leading WinStar to exercise the buy-back clause in his sale contract. The stallion served the 2020 season at WinStar and currently stands for US$15,000 stands and nurses.
Take Charge Lady's 2010 foal, a strapping son of Unbridled's Song, proved even better on the track. Named Will Take Charge, he came on strong in the second half of his 3-year-old season to win the Travers Stakes (USA-G1), Clark Handicap (USA-G1), and Pennsylvania Derby (USA-G2). He defeated older males in the Clark, and that plus a nose defeat by multiple Grade 1 winner Mucho Macho Man in the Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-G1) proved enough to land him the Eclipse Award as American champion 3-year-old male. He raced on at age 4, adding the Oaklawn Handicap (USA-G2) to his trophy case, and retired to Three Chimneys Farm. Thus far, his best runner has been Peruvian Group 2 winner Esidio.
As Time Goes By is the only stakes winner Take Charge Lady produced from her remaining five foals, but three of the foals in between Will Take Charge and As Time Goes By are fillies, and they are receiving excellent opportunities as is Elarose, Take Charge Lady's 2007 filly by Storm Cat. Time will tell if these daughters continue to build on their dam's legacy, but Take Charge Lady already has enough on her catalog page to have proven herself a worthy member of the sorority of Kentucky Broodmares of the Year.
As Time Goes By is the last foal of Take Charge Lady, who was a lot more than just another pretty face in the paddocks. Before she was a top broodmare she was a racehorse, and a highly capable one. A two-time winner of the Spinster Stakes (USA-G1) at Keeneland (her favorite track), she also won the 2002 Ashland Stakes (USA-G1) at the same venue. She won three more graded stakes during her racing career and placed four times in Grade 1 races, including a second in the 2002 Kentucky Oaks.
A half sister to listed stakes winner Commendation (by Capote) and multiple restricted stakes winner Eventail (by Lear Fan; dam of Grade 2 winner Straight Story), Take Charge Lady has a pedigree that, while not highly fashionable, was quite solid in terns of its breeding and racing quality. Her sire Dehere, a son of American champion sire Deputy Minister, was the American champion 2-year-old male of 1993 and became a useful stallion, siring 80 stakes winners and the winners of over US$104 million. Her dam, unraced Felicita, was sired by 1992 American champion sprinter Rubiano (by Fappiano), a member of the family of the important sires Tapit and Relaunch and a fairly good stallion himself with 33 stakes winners (from 510 named foals) and the earners of over US$40 million to his credit. The next dam in Take Charge Lady's direct female line is Grand Bonheur, a daughter of the excellent racer and sire Blushing Groom. Grand Bonheur was not a particularly good racehorse or broodmare herself, but she is a granddaughter of the Double Jay mare Times Two, the foundation of a respectable family.
Take Charge Lady had the racing performance to get bookings to elite stallions, and with the help of those opportunities she gave her family's reputation a considerable boost, beginning with her first foal, the Seeking the Gold mare Charming. Bred to Giant's Causeway, Charming produced 2014 American champion 2-year-old filly Take Charge Brandi as her second foal. She later produced three-time Grade 1 winner Omaha Beach (by War Front) as her fifth and last named foal, and both her daughters are now young broodmares.
It took three years after Charming's birth before Take Charge Lady produced another important foal, but that one was 2012 Florida Derby (USA-G1) winner Take Charge Indy (by A.P. Indy). Sold to South Korea after standing his first three seasons at WinStar Farm, he ranked highly on the second and third-crop sire lists when members of his Kentucky-sired crops got into action, leading WinStar to exercise the buy-back clause in his sale contract. The stallion served the 2020 season at WinStar and currently stands for US$15,000 stands and nurses.
Take Charge Lady's 2010 foal, a strapping son of Unbridled's Song, proved even better on the track. Named Will Take Charge, he came on strong in the second half of his 3-year-old season to win the Travers Stakes (USA-G1), Clark Handicap (USA-G1), and Pennsylvania Derby (USA-G2). He defeated older males in the Clark, and that plus a nose defeat by multiple Grade 1 winner Mucho Macho Man in the Breeders' Cup Classic (USA-G1) proved enough to land him the Eclipse Award as American champion 3-year-old male. He raced on at age 4, adding the Oaklawn Handicap (USA-G2) to his trophy case, and retired to Three Chimneys Farm. Thus far, his best runner has been Peruvian Group 2 winner Esidio.
As Time Goes By is the only stakes winner Take Charge Lady produced from her remaining five foals, but three of the foals in between Will Take Charge and As Time Goes By are fillies, and they are receiving excellent opportunities as is Elarose, Take Charge Lady's 2007 filly by Storm Cat. Time will tell if these daughters continue to build on their dam's legacy, but Take Charge Lady already has enough on her catalog page to have proven herself a worthy member of the sorority of Kentucky Broodmares of the Year.
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