BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Rousseau Racing’s Nic’s Style returns after eight months away from the races to defend her title in the $150,000 Pumpkin Pie, a seven-furlong test for fillies and mares at Aqueduct on Saturday.
Although lightly raced throughout her four years on the track, the 5-year-old daughter of Uncaptured has won seven of eight with her only blemish coming when second to Ways and Means in last year’s Grade 2 Gallant Bloom during the Belmont at Big A meet in September.
Trained by Bill Mott, Nic’s Style has won three since last year’s Pumpkin Pie, including a two-and-a-half-length score in the $99,000 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes City of Ocala going seven furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs on Dec. 14.
In two starts this year, she won the $125,000 Minaret going six furlongs at Tampa Bay on Feb. 8 and the six-and-half-furlong Hurricane Bertie (G3) at Gulfstream Park on March 8.
Bred in Florida by Jamaica native Ken D’Oyen of Carson, Calif., in the name of his D’Oyen Thoroughbreds, Nic’s Style is out of the Street Sense mare Sense When and has earned $490,970. Stephen Rousseau, also a native of Jamaica but now a resident of Coral Gables, Fla., purchased Nic’s Style on the advice of Ralph Nicks out of Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck’s Summerfield consignment at the 2021 Ocala Breeders’ Sales October Yearling Sale.
Set as the 2-1 second choice on the morning line, Nic’s Style will be ridden by Junior Alvarado from the inside post.
Weigh the Risks, the 9-5 program favorite for trainer Chad Brown and owner Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stable, makes only her fourth start of the year.
She was most recently a seven-and-three-quarters-lengths winner of an upper tier, $100,000 optional claiming on July 23 in her first start since February. She started the year winning a second condition, $62,500 optional claiming by nine lengths in January then was second to Bernietakescharge in the $145,500 Heavenly Prize Invitational at Aqueduct on Feb. 22.
Weight the Risks is by Mendelssohn and has won four of 11 career starts with two seconds with lifetime income of $286,821.
Manny Franco rides Weigh the Risk from the outside post eight.
Also set for the Pumpkin Pie are St. Benedicts Prep with Jose Lezcano named to ride, Taliesin and jockey Frankie Pennington, Christpher Elliot will guide Maggy’s Palace, Dylan Davis has the assignment on Volleyballprincess, Scalable with John Velazquez up and Kendrick Carmouche will be in the saddle for Patricia Ann.
Return to the November 7 issue of Wire to Wire
