Nautical Star blows away the competition in St Catherine Cup feature
Nautical Star’s confidence was the focus going into the $1.25-million St Catherine Cup feature race at Caymanas Park on Saturday, January 17, 2026 as trainer Anthony Nunes worked to get the six-year-old, American-bred dark brown horse back to winning form after a dry spell since 2023.
“We felt that we needed to build his confidence; he hadn’t won a race since 2023 even though he is an older horse,” Nunes told the Jamaica Observer’s The Supreme Racing Guide.
A revised training approach, emphasising a lighter workload, proved effective as Nautical Star stormed to a 10 3/4-length victory in the Overnight Allowance contest for three-year-olds and upward over six furlongs (1,200m).
Nautical Star ( Dixie Chatter – Kiss Me Chocolate) clocked an impressive time of 1:11.2 (23.4 x 47.1 x 58.4), beating Champion Bubbler (Tevin Foster) and Mark My Identity (Dane Dawkins) in the process.
“We changed up a few things. We trained him a little lighter for this race and I thought his physical weight was good today. He looked good, he looked like when Saffie [Joseph Jr] had him in the States where he had some weight on him.
“We felt in the Mouttet Mile, he was a little lighter than we wanted, and I think that was a combination of him coming a little late for the Mouttet Mile and maybe allowing him to work fast. It wasn’t that I was working him fast, it was that I was allowing him to work fast. You know, you live and you learn and hopefully we get another shot at it at the end of this year,” Nunes explained.
At the off, Nautical Star quickly took control of the race and asserted his dominance. He increased his advantage going into the half-mile (800m) turn and was long gone by the time the field turned for home, securing his first win on local soil.
“He was down two classes for this Overnight Allowance race. I thought he performed decently. Time is only important when you are in jail; there are many variants to a racetrack on a particular day and so 1:11.2 is alright. It was a good race, it was a good run, and hopefully we can move forward from here. He is going to have to step forward again against Funcaandun, Girvano, Legacy Isle, and those type of horses,” Nunes stated.
Groom Steven Smith leads his charge Nautical Star (Raddesh Roman) into the winners’ enclosure after winning the St Catherine Cup on Saturday, January 17, 2026. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)
Jockey Raddesh Roman leads Nautical Star back after winning the St Catherine Cup on Saturday, January 17, 2026. (Photo: Joseph Wellington)
