Bessie Back In The Groove
Bessie regained her status among the distaff trotting elite at The Meadows when she rallied to capture Tuesday’s $17,000 Filly & Mare Winners Over $10,000 Life Handicap.
A top performer at The Meadows for several years, Bessie had to drop into lower-end conditioned races to get her most recent victory. But the six-year-old daughter of Equinox Bi-Cantabs Chorine was sharp up in class, surging late for Jim Pantaleano to edge the first-over Homepage by a nose in 1:56 at 9-1. Classical Annie finished third.
Rick Clapper trains Bessie, who pushed her career bankroll to $356,957, for Paula Clapper, Umholtz Racing Stable and Kennedy Sports Corp.
Pantaleano collected three wins on the 13-race card while trainer Randy Bendis enjoyed his second consecutive triple.
(The Meadows)