Nic’s Style won for the fourth consecutive time and picked up her first graded win with a stretch-rallying victory in the $163,000 Hurricane Bertie Stakes (G3) March 8 at Gulfstream Park.
Spirit Wind set a wicked early pace of :21.67 and :44.13, with stablemate R Disaster second. Nic’s Style, ridden by Junior Alvarado, was third about 6 1/2 lengths back after a half-mile. Still in third, 2 1/2 lengths back at the stretch call, Nic’s Style caught the leaders in deep stretch to win by a neck. The final time for 6 1/2 furlongs on the dirt track rated fast was 1:16.53.
“She got out-footed the first part of the race, but she was travelling beautifully the whole way,” Alvarado said. “I think it was just a matter of time to get to the wire first.
“She’s a nice-trying filly. She knows how to do it, and she definitely makes my job very easy. Everything I ask her, she’s there for me. I am just glad to be her passenger.”
Alvarado has ridden Nic’s Style in all eight lifetime starts. The 5-year-old Florida-bred mare by Uncaptured has seven wins and one second, with earnings of $490,970.
It was the third Hurricane Bertie win in the last four years for Bill Mott, who trains the winner for Stephen Rousseau. Nic’s Style was purchased for $25,000 from the Summerfield consignment at the 2021 Ocala Breeders’ Sales October Yearling Sale.
R Disaster finished second, and Into Champagne finished third, another 3 1/2 lengths back, in her first start since the 2024 Kentucky Oaks (G1).
Video: Hurricane Bertie S. (G3)
