Bacio Del Mist hits new heights in Stayers’ Cup

[Wandering Eyes]

Seven-year-old mare Bacio Del Mist (NZ) (Reliable Man) took her earnings past A$300,000 with a career-best triumph in Saturday’s A$160,000 Irresistible Pools Stayers’ Cup (2400m) at Rosehill.

The grey daughter of Reliable Man was bought for only A$30,000 from the 2019 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale. She has now had 44 starts for seven wins, eight placings and A$356,505.

Trainers Lee and Cherie Curtis stepped Bacio Del Mist down in class for Saturday’s assignment, having lined her up in Listed company in her last two starts for a fifth in the Lord Mayor’s Cup (2000m) and a 10^th from a wide gate in the Winter Cup (2400m).

She settled in the second half of the field on Saturday for jockey Alysha Collett before warming into her work stylishly in the straight. Bacio Del Mist outstayed fellow grey Mormona through the final 100m and won by a neck, with a similar margin back to Casual Connection (NZ) (Complacent) in third.

“She’s a marvel for a $30,000 yearling,” Lee Curtis said. “She has just had no luck in this campaign – not just with the barriers, although they’ve been horrible too, but just missing out on runs in races.

“When she ran fifth in the Epona (Gr.3, 1900m), we had her in another race that day and she missed out by one, and she ran super in the Epona. Over the 2400m she would have run really well.

“She has had no luck and she has been running good races too. She is such a gutsy thing and so tough.”

Curtis suggested that plans to retire Bacio Del Mist to stud might be put on hold after Saturday’s win.

“The plan was to go through this prep and wind it up, but the owners might want to race her for another 12 months now,” he said.

Bacio Del Mist was bred by Westbury Stud owner Gerry Harvey and is a daughter of Westbury stallion Reliable Man.

The dam of Bacio Del Mist is the unraced Encosta de Lago mare Bacio Del Vinto, whose four other winners include the Gr.3 Manawatu Cup (2250m) winner Marroni (NZ) (Makfi) and the eight-race winner St Lawrence (NZ) (Redwood).

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