BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Graded stakes-winning Florida-bred Nic’s Style has been installed at the 8-5 morning line favorite for Sunday’s featured Race 10 at Gulfstream Park, an upper tier $62,500 optional claiming for fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and older. Nine have entered including Florida-breds Pleasant Embrace and Etrurian. However, Etrurian is expected to scratch after finishing fourth in Saturday’s $100,000 Lightning City Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.
The very reliable Nic’s Style has finished first or second in 10 of 11 career starts, seven of which have been wins including a neck victory in the Grade 3 Hurricane Bertie going six-and-a-half furlongs at Gulfstream in March of last year. She has three starts since with her lone fourth-place finish coming in the seven-furlong, $150,000 Pumpkin Pie (Listed) won by the Weigh the Risks at Aqueduct on Nov. 8. Weigh the Risks was a nearly 10-length winner of the Listed Go For Wand Stakes at Aqueduct in her next start in December.
Nic’s Style has been second in her two most recent races, both at Gulfstream. She finished a length-and-a-half shy of Florida-bred Ms. Bucchero in the $125,000 Sugar Swirl (Listed) on December 20 and was a length-a-half behind Lynn’s Milky Way in an upper tier, $62,500 optional claiming run over a sloppy six furlongs on January 22.
Nic’s Style has earned $544,540 for owner Stephen Rousseau and his Rousseau Racing of Coral Gables, Florida while counting wins in the $98,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes City of Ocala in December of 2024 and the $92,000 Minaret in February of last year, both at Tampa Bay Downs.
She is by Uncaptured out of Sense When, by Street Sense and was bred by Kenneth D’Oyen of Carson, California in the name of his D’Oyen Thoroughbreds.
John Velazquez will ride Nic’s Style, who has drawn post nine.
Pleasant Embrace makes her first start of the year in search of her first win since taking a second condition, $50,000 optional claiming going six-and-a-half furlongs at Parx in July.
Trained by Kelly Breen for James A. Riccio and Gerard L. Artz, Pleasant Embrace was second most recently in a five-and-a-half-furlong allowance race at Laurel on September 6.
Another model of consistency, Pleasant Embrace won five out of six, starting with a $50,000 claiming race at Monmouth Park in September of 2024 and concluding with the aforementioned optional claiming at Parx. Her only loss in that span was a fifth in the $96,000 Rehoboth Stakes at Delaware Park in May.
Pleasant Embrace is by Bucchero out of Feisty Embrace, by Brethren and was bred in Florida by Dr. Matt and Lona Vuskovich of Gainesville, Florida in the name of their Matalona Thoroughbreds.
Tyler Gaffalione has the call on Pleasant Embrace from post seven.
Also entered are Etrurian with Edgard Zayas named to ride, Miss Enchanted will be guided by Corey Lanerie, Jorge Ruiz has the assignment on Gallop d’Hermes, Taliesin and jockey Michah Husbands, Edwin Gonzalez takes the reins on Libban, Secret Revenge will have Joe Bravo aboard and Eclatant will have Javier Castellano in the saddle.
Return to the February 14 issue of Wire to Wire
