NAUTICAL STAR, the Florida invader who finished ninth as a 2-1 favourite in December’s Mouttet Mile, yesterday poured scorn on the conditions book, which allows imported winners of multiple races overseas to be immediately lowered two classes, should they fail to win the grade-one Mouttet Mile.
Closing the eight-race card as a prohibitive 3-5 favourite among overnight-allowance runners, the level to which local-breds graduate after winning four races, NAUTICAL STAR made light work of the six-furlong St Catherine Cup, romping home almost a dozen lengths clear of fellow American, CHAMPION BUBBLER, a seven-year-old mare, whose best season was last year when she recorded a hat-trick of wins.
Champion jockey Raddesh Roman added to his plethora of armchair rides with a gate-to-wire win aboard six-year-old NAUTICAL STAR in whom Anthony Nunes had placed hopes of landing the US$300,000 Mouttet Mile and a come-from-behind win in last season’s trainers’ stakes race.
WALL STREET TRADER, a fellow American who had famously upstaged two-time Mouttet Mile runner-up LEGACY ISLE at odds of 16-1 in last July’s Hall of Fame Stakes, failed to show expected early speed, sitting a close third while local-bred GALOPIN DE VELOZ tried in vain to keep NAUTICAL STAR honest.
Cruising into the lane on a half-mile split of 47.1, NAUTICAL STAR showed the exact pace he used to straighten sixth in the Mouttet Mile, sprinting away from rivals to win in 1:11.2, a time unknown to overnight-allowance company.
Proving that he had run his race at exercise while prepping for the Mouttet Mile, clocking 1:25.4 for seven furlongs and 1:12.1 for three-quarters of a mile, NAUTICAL STAR coasted home under a hand ride, setting a date with open-allowance runners, who could very well receive the same treatment.
Sparingly raced in 2025, prior to the Mouttet Mile, NAUTICAL STAR’s last outing was 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.
However, the former Saffie Josephs runner 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.
Dialling back on NAUTICAL STAR’s pre-Mouttet Mile bullet gallops, Nunes’ instead went with an easy 48.3 for four furlongs, January 3, followed by 1:03.1 for five furlongs last Saturday morning.
NAUTICAL STAR was one of two winners for Roman, putting him joint second with claiming rider Jahein Anderson on four winners behind Tevin Foster, who moved to five by booting home Philip Feanny’s GIVING THANKS in the second event for maidens, three-year-old fillies, at six furlongs.
Roman won the fifth at five and a half furlongs aboard four-year-old maiden LAST POSSESSION, the first of back-to-back winners foaled by Tashara, whose DESIGN DIVA made all to land the sixth at odds of 11-1 with Anderson, who rode a three-timer last Saturday.
Racing continues on Saturday, the second-to-last meet of January.
