NAUTICAL STAR, the Florida invader who Anthony Nunes had aimed at the Mouttet Mile, harbouring hopes of a come-from-behind win in last season’s trainers’ stakes race, returns two classes lower in Saturday’s six-furlong St Catherine Cup among overnight-allowance runners, after flopping as a 2-1 favourite in the US$300,000 grade-one event.
Nunes didn’t have much to say except “things didn’t go as planned”, in summing up NAUTICAL STAR’s baffling performance after clocking 1:25.4 for seven furlongs and 1:12.1 for three-quarters of a mile at exercise.
However, the answer might lie in NAUTICAL STAR’s record, sparingly raced in 2025, his last outing recorded at Gulfstream in August, finishing fifth in the Benny The Bull Handicap at seven furlongs, his second run off a 15-month lay-up.
Similarly, NAUTICAL STAR had only raced twice in 2024, finishing third in back-to-back races, a mile, and eight and a half furlongs, respectively. Both events were won in fast times, 1:36.3 and 1:43.4.
NAUTICAL STAR, now six, was far more active as a three-year-old in 2023, winning six-furlong events in 1:10.3 and 1:11.0 at Oaklawn Park, plus a seven-furlong in 1:23.0 at Gulfstream Park.
Nunes would have since gone back to the drawing board with NAUTICAL STAR, most notably his training tactics, replacing the pre-Mouttet Mile bullet gallops with an easy 48.3 on January 3, followed by 1:03.1 for five furlongs last Saturday morning.
Nunes’ adjustments should do the trick for NAUTICAL STAR, who clearly left his form on the exercise track. Racing 10th down the backstretch in the Mouttet Mile, NAUTICAL STAR actually improved into sixth approaching the home turn, a length and a half behind MOJITO, but found nil leaving the furlong pole, outsped in splits of 45.0, 57.1 and 1:10.0.
A more friendly pace is expected, fellow American WALL STREET TRADER the most likely leader, reporting at 121lb with claiming rider Demar Williams.
Having already shown at exercise in November that he is lethal from off the bench, NAUTICAL STAR deserves a chance to live up to his hype.
