The Bloom Handicap (Grade 2)- $250.00 Purse
BEL- For Fillies and Mares Three Years Old and Upward
Six and a Half Furlongs on the Dirt
September 26, 2026

Rain took out several horses at BEL on Saturday, and in the Bloom Handicap, it probably washed away our biggest story going into it, which was how Honey would handle a large weight disadvantage. She would be scratched, leaving just seven to take part in the race. Two of them would end up in the winner’s circle. Our pick for the race was Barossa Valley, anticipating the rain and being impressed with how she handled slop last time out. Most agreed, as she would be the post time favorite. The Mo Mentum Farm- trained mare would get a win, but not an exclusive one. Joining her in the winner’s circle would be a filly by Declassified in Confident Elegance. She got off to such a great start for her career, and went into the KYO with seemingly a pretty good shot, but did not run well in the race and was sold to Maxmillion Farm. Confident Elegance was inconsistent in her new barn but now picks up her second graded win since the sale. It’s also two in a row (races of any type) for her, so if she’s going to have a career resurgence towards what it once was, keep an eye on her. While it is two long time and highly successful trainers sharing the win, it is the first win in the Bloom Handicap for both of them. That’s also true for the jockeys, S X Bridgmohan (Barossa Valley) and M J Husbands (Confident Elegance). Congratulations to all involved! The time of the win on the good track surface was 1:16.35. Let’s take a look at it!

(1/4 Mile- :22.64)- Barossa Valley is going to get this started by going right to the front for Mo Mentum Farm, and the first co-winner will lead by nearly a length into the opening turn. To her inside, TwinTowersRacing’s Absent Friends is not going to let her get away. These two are a length in front of a pair of stablemates that run evenly with one another. This is where we find our other co-winner, Maxmillion Farm’s Confident Elegance, and she runs right behind Barossa Valley, while Promote Violence is glued tight to the rail. Sugar Queen follows these two for Mb Stables, and behind her are the two trailers, Lil Sunshine (Threshold) and Neon Sara (TwinTowersRacing).

(½ Mile- :46.01, Top of Stretch, 1.8F To Go)- Around the turn, Barossa Valley runs well but Absent Friends seems to gain a slight amount of ground on her with every stride. When they reach the top of the stretch, it is actually Absent Friends with, we’ll call it, a nose in front, but both of these two continue to look strong. Right behind them, Confident Elegance is outkicking her stablemate Promote Violence, and there is enough of a gap for her to come between the two frontrunners. It’s about a length and a half from Promote Violence to Lil Sunshine and Sugar Queen, who have lacked response thus far. However, Neon Sara, still at the back, is starting to look interested and positions herself for an outside move.

(Finish- 1:16.35)- We would get a thrilling stretch run, and it would look like Absent Friends was going to prevail over Barossa Valley. Confident Elegance was lurking as a bigger and bigger threat, and in the final furlong it was clear that a great finish would be on the way. Approaching the wire, Barossa Valley got her nose back in front of Absent Friends, but Confident Elegance was getting closer and closer. At the wire, all three of these horses would hit the wire together, and it wasn’t too far away from being a three-way dead heat. However, stewards were able to decipher that Absent Friends was slightly beaten, and would settle for third. Nothing could separate Barossa Valley from Confident Elegance and these two would get that dead heat win. It was a length back to fourth place Neon Sara, who probably just had to start her run a little earlier. Promote Violence fell to fifth, topping Lil Sunshine and Sugar Queen.

About The Winners:
Confident Elegance, trained by Maxmillion Farm and ridden to victory by M J Husbands, is a four year old filly by Declassified and is out of Audrey. She was bred in Louisiana by Wood Duck Stables as a first quarter two year old and was acquired by Maxmillion Farm for $150.00 in a May 2025 private sale. Congratulations to the connections! The win is her eighth in 19 starts, her fifth stake win and third graded win. Her career earnings are now $919.80.

Barossa Valley, trained by Mo Mentum Farm and ridden to victory by S X Bridgmohan, is a five year old mare by Cross Of Lorraine and is out of Perfunctory. She was bred as a yearling in Florida by Mo Mentum Farm, and they have been together throughout! Congratulations to the connections! The win is her tenth in 31 starts, her sixth stake win and second graded win. Her career earnings are now $1,438.96.

— NS

Categories: Grade II, STAKES ARTICLES