BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Nic’s Style, a multiple stakes-winner of five of six career starts, returns to stakes action at Tampa Bay Downs Saturday as the 7-5 morning line favorite in the $75,000 Minaret for eight fillies and mares, 4-years-old and older, going six furlongs.
Nic’s Style and R Harper Rose will run for an additional $25,000 in Florida-bred bonus money presented by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association.
Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Nic’s Style returns to Tampa Bay after winning the $98,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes City of Ocala there going seven furlongs in her last race on Dec. 14. That was her second consecutive stakes victory after taking the $150,000 Pumpkin Pie (Listed) during the Belmont at Big A meet on Nov. 3.
Her only career loss came in the Grade 3 Gallant Bloom won by Ways and Means over a sloppy six-and-a-half furlongs during the Belmont at Big A meet in September.
An earner of $328,400, Nic’s Style has provided a good return on investment for owner Stephen Rousseau of Coral Gables, Fla., who bought her for $25,000 out of Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck’s Summerfield consignment at the 2021 Ocala Breeders’ Sales October Yearling Sale.
Nic’s Style is by Uncaptured out of Sense When, by Street Sense and was bred in Florida by Ken D’Oyen of Carson, Calif., in the name of his D’Oyen Thoroughbreds LLC.
Junior Alvarado, who has ridden Nic’s Style in every career start, gets the return mount from post four.
R Harper Rose, who races for Rich Averill’s Averill Racing LLC and Jayson Werth’s Two Eight Racing LLC, both of Bradenton, Fla., looks to find the form she showed in winning the Grade 3 Forward Gal at Gulfstream Park in February of last year. In four starts since, her best finish was a second to Launch in the $102,000 Any Limit in March. Last out she was fifth in the $133,000 Sugar Swirl (Listed) won by Florida-bred Mystic Lake on Dec. 21 at Gulfstream.
R Harper Rose has won four of nine career starts with two seconds while banking $380,980. She was a $60,000 purchase by Averill out of the GOP Racing Stable consignment at the 2023 OBS March Sale and a $16,000 selection by Pro Racing Stable out of Richard Kent’s Kaizen Sales consignment at the 2022 OBS October Yearling Sale.
(R Harper Rose’s Under Tack Video)
R Harper Rose is by Ocala Stud’s leading Florida sire Khozan out of True Bliss, by Yes It’s True and was bred in Florida by Sally J. Andersen.
She is 12-1 on the morning line and Pablo Morales will ride from post three.
Others entered are Opus Forty Two with jockey Daniel Centeno, Sing a Little Song has Brian Hernandez, Jr. taking the call, Edwin Gonzalez will ride Ruthless Rua, Dazzling Blue has Flavien Prat named to ride, Paco Lopez will be aboard Broken Hearts Bay and Miuccia will have Samy Camacho up.
Return to the February 7 issue of Wire to Wire
