Bahamian Pirate Relishes Soft Ground in Group I Win

Bahamian Pirate, a 9-year-old gelded son of Housebuster, zipped five furlongs in :58.89 seconds over soft ground at York, England en route to a neck victory in the Victor Chandler Nunthorpe Stakes (Eng-I) Thursday.

The oldest runner in the 12-horse, Bahamian Pirate was near the rear of the field early before rallying to defeat The Tatling at 16-1 odds. One Cool Cat, a 3-year-old son of Storm Cat sent off as the 3-1 favorite, finished third, a length behind the runner-up.

Trained by Dandy Nicholls for owner Lucayan Stud, Bahamian Pirate has won 11 of 68 career starts, with 12 seconds, and six third-place finishes.

According to The Racing Post, trainer Nicholls believed the soft going made a difference in the victory. "The ground is the most important thing to him," Nicholls said. "He can compete on soft ground like this. He might be nine, but he doesn't look it and he is racing full of confidence at present."

Produced from the Deputy Minister mare Shining Through, Bahamian Pirate was bred in Kentucky by Trackside Farm, Liberation Farm, and G. A. Seelbinder. The gelding was sold for $42,000 by Trackside Farms at the 1996 Keeneland September yearling sale.