 He was headed by So You Think approaching the final furlong and ran on at "one pace" to finish fifth behind Cirrus des Aigles, beaten three and a half lengths.At the end of the year, Nathaniel was rated the equal seventh best racehorse in the world in the 2011 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings.Nathaniel had respiratory problems in early 2012 and did not make his first appearance of the season until the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown on 7 July.