BY BROCK SHERIDAN
Florida-bred Nic’s Style pressured St. Benedicts Prep early then drew off in the stretch to win her first stakes victory in the $150,000 Pumpkin Pie during the Belmont at Big A meet Sunday. Seven fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and older went seven furlongs with Nic’s Style winning as the heavy 1-2 favorite.
Nic’s Style was hustled from post four by jockey Junior Alvarado, who placed the 4-year-old filly just to the outside of frontrunner St. Benedicts Prep through a quarter mile in :22.61. Nic’s Style spurted away from St. Benedicts Prep at the top of the stretch then sprinted clear in the run for home to win by three-and-a-quarters lengths in 1:22.51 on the fast track. Dazzling Move came on late to get second, three-and-three-quarters lengths ahead of Zadorsky in third. St. Benedicts Prep, Rachel’s Rock, Braganza and Khali Magic completed the order of finish.
Trained by Bill Mott, Nic’s Style paid $3 to win.
Nic’s Style has shown promise from the start of her career, winning her first three efforts by more than 22 lengths. However, she has had plenty of time between races having won her debut at Gulfstream Park in May of 2022. She did not start again until December of 2023 when she thrashed a field of first level, $20,000 optional claiming fillies and mares bred in Florida by more than 10 lengths at Gulfstream. It was another nine months until her next race on Aug. 17 at Saratoga when she took a first condition allowance race by nearly six lengths before finishing second to the highly regarded Ways and Means in the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom at Aqueduct on Sept. 29 last out.
Nic’s Style has now won four of five career starts with one second and earnings of $268,400 for owner Stephen Rousseau. She is by Uncaptured out of Sense When, by Street Sense and was bred in Florida by D’Oyen Thoroughbreds LLC.
Rousseau purchased her for $25,000 out of the Summerfield consignment of Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck at the 2021 Ocala Breeders’ Sales October Yearling Sale.
Nic’s Style is the only stakes winner for Sense When, who has three winners from three starters. Sense When also has an unnamed yearling colt by Higher Power and a weanling colt by Mo Town. She was bred to Mandaloun in 2024.
