Bessie M misses stakes win by a head

Bessie M came up a head short of becoming a stakes winner in a grueling stretch duel Saturday at Calder Race Course.

I shortlisted the filly by Medalist-Catalita, by Mountain Cat, as a "Priority 2" horse on a list of 48 bargain-priced prospects at the 2010 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale of 2-year-olds in training while working my first (and only) auction as a hired bloodstock advisor. Then named Carolita, she sold for $35,000 as Hip 59 and would have been a "Priority 1" horse on our list were it not for the slow start at stud by her young, Maryland-based sire.

In the Leave Me Alone Stakes on Saturday at Calder, Bessie M stalked the brisk 22.28 opening quarter set by favorite White Merlot, claimed the lead by a half-mile that was run in 45.76, and responded when Beso Grande challenged her in deep stretch. But Beso Grande edged in front at the wire, claiming the $45,000 winner's share of the purse and leaving Bessie M to settle for her second straight blacktype-placing without winning.

Bessie M flattened out in the stretch and was third her last out in the one-mile Regal Gal Stakes at Calder on May 28. Previously, she had won two straight races for current connections Platinum Equestrian Corporation, which claimed her at Gulfstream in January for $25,000, and trainer Antonio Sano.

Bessie M was bred in Maryland by Mr. & Mrs. Charles McGinnes. She now has a 3-3-3 record from 11 starts for $76,024 in earnings.

She is one of three stakes-placers from that list of 48 bargain-priced prospects at EASMAY 2010 (my selections were sold or failed to attain reserve at an average price less than half the sale average), and one of 18 horses stakes-placed or better from my 187-horse list of mostly bargain-minded prospects from several of last year's juvenile sales.

Follow those 187 sales selections in the list at the bottom of this prior post.