Nic’s Style adds a graded stakes win to her already impressive resume (Coglianese)
David Joseph/Gulfstream Park
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Stephen Rousseau’s Nic’s Style took full advantage of a blistering early pace with a winning stretch drive in Saturday’s $165,000 Hurricane Bertie (G3) at Gulfstream Park, where the Bill Mott-trained daughter of Uncaptured scored her seventh victory in eight career starts.
“This filly comes running every single time,” Mott’s longtime assistant trainer Kenny McCarthy said. “All she knows how to do is win.”
Nic’s Style notched her first graded-stakes triumph in the 6 ½-furlong stakes for fillies and mares that headlined Saturday’s 11-race program that also featured the $115,000 Silks Run, a five-furlong turf sprint for 4-year-olds and up.
The Florida-bred 5-year-old mare broke alertly from her rail post position but was outgunned by the Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained stablemates Spirit Wind and R Disaster. Multiple graded-stakes winner Spirit Wind ran the first quarter of a mile in 21.67 seconds to open up a clear lead over R Disaster on the backstretch with Nic’s Style several lengths back in third. Spirit Wind continued to show the way past a half-mile in 44.13 seconds with R Disaster Closing In as they straightened out for the stretch run.
R Disaster took over the lead in mid-stretch as Nic’s Style found her best stride while on the outside. Nic’s Style responded to jockey Junior Alvarado’s urging to overtake R Disaster in the shadow of the finish line and prevail by a neck.
“I had a great trip. The two horses went kind of quick in front, but I knew I was traveling well because my filly, I can feel that she is moving along pretty quick too,” Alvarado said. “She wasn’t going in 21 [seconds] but I can feel her going in 22 flat, easy. I’m guessing they had to come back to me.
“When we turned for home I could have maybe gone inside because they were going very wide but normally when you’re closing with horses you want to make sure you’re on the outside. They feel more comfortable doing that. I took my chance knowing that she was going to be able to pick them up at the end,” he added. “Every time I asked for something she was there for me.”
Nic’s Style ran 6 ½ furlongs in 1:16.53. R Disaster, who was ridden by Edgard Zayas, finished second, 3 ½-lengths ahead of Into Champagne. Spirit Wind weakened to fourth, another length back.
Nic’s Style, who is 3-for-3 at Gulfstream, sustained her only loss while finishing second int the Gallant Bloom (G2) at Aqueduct last fall. The Florida-bred filly has won four straight races including the Pumpkin Pie at Aqueduct and the FTBA City of Ocala and Minaret at Tampa Bay Downs.
