HnR Nothaft Horseracing’s Mutliple Stakes Winning and Multiple Graded Stakes placed Mare Kindle produced a colt on January 26th by Tiznow, two time Horse of the Year, known as the Big Horse Sire. Kindle by Indian Charlie out of a Carson City Mare, Carson’s Vanity won two listed stakes and placed five times in graded stakes in a 11 race career that produced 4 wins, 4 places and 1 show. Her best statistical performance produced a triple digit Beyer Number (100) in winning the Cool Air Stakes and probably her most exciting race was getting edged at the wire by two times Breeders’ Cup Champion Mizdirection in the Monrovia Stakes. A versatile sprinter, Kindle won on dirt, synthetic and turf surfaces.
The new colt is healthy, well formed and has great substance. We can’t wait to see him mature as we matched the brilliant speed of Kindle with the world class two turn capability of Tiznow. Kindle is a very muscular mare who fits well with taller, longer Tiznow. Besides the physical compatibility, the pedigree nicks are strong as well. This mating is rated an A by Truenicks, and A++ by Werk’s enicks and a 20/20 match by G1 Goldmine.
This post is from an article by Steve Andersen from the Daily Racing Form. It should be noted that Living the Life wore modified eye shields in the Great Lady M Stakes that seemed to cure or diminish her reaction to dirt kick back that has bothered her in previous races on dirt traces.
Living The Life eyes elusive stakes win on dirt
Article by Steve Andersen Daily Racing Form
01/18/2016 3:40PM
By Steve Andersen
“Living the Life has had success on synthetic tracks, but is still looking for her first stakes win on dirt.
ARCADIA, Calif. – Living The Life has been outstanding in sprints for fillies and mares on synthetic tracks in the last two years, having won four such stakes in California, England, and Pennsylvania. What’s missing is the same level of success on dirt.
On Saturday at Santa Anita, Living The Life will start in a stakes on dirt for the fourth time in the $200,000 Santa Monica Stakes. It will be her first time in a dirt stakes since she finished second in the Grade 2 Great Lady M. Stakes at Los Alamitos last July. From trainer Gary Mandella’s perspective, the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes for fillies and mares at seven furlongs is an ideal test for the 6-year-old mare.
“It’s a very good distance for her,” Mandella said.
Mandella is realistic, too. Living The Life ran well to finish second to Fantastic Style at Los Alamitos but was 10th in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint here in 2014 and fifth in the Desert Stormer Stakes here last June.
“Her dirt races have been a bit muddling,” he said. “She got sick immediately after the Breeders’ Cup, and I think it started the days before.”
Mandella said he was not discouraged by the loss in the Desert Stormer. Living The Life closed from 10th in a field of 11 to finish 2 1/2 lengths behind the longshot winner, Amaranth.
“She had a lot of trouble and finished strongly,” he said. “That gave us the reason to try again. She ran great at Los Al. She caught a filly that ran big that day.”
Living The Life has won 9 of 28 starts and earned $791,704. Owned by Hank Nothhaft, Living The Life was sixth in the Goldikova Stakes at a mile on turf at Del Mar last November. Prior to that race, she won the Presque Isle Masters on a synthetic track at Presque Isle Downs in Pennsylvania for the second consecutive year.
In the Santa Monica Stakes, Living The Life is part of a projected field of seven led by Sunday Rules, the winner of the Kalookan Queen Stakes on Dec. 30. Other candidates are Ben’s Duchess, Kiss At Midnight, Kyriaki, Prize Exhibit, and Tara’s Tango.
On Monday, Ben’s Duchess worked five furlongs in 1:00.20, while Tara’s Tango went the same distance in 1:00.40.”
Photo Coady Photography LTL Win 2 Master Stakes Joe Bravo up
TDN HEADLINE NEWS Article appeared in TDN on May 20, 2015
The husband-and-wife team of Crystal and Marcus Ryan, which consigns as Mason Springs, celebrated its
biggest sales success to date when selling hip 468, a colt by Silver Train, for $125,000 to the bid of trainer
Gary Contessa.
We work for Darley in the mornings and we ride out for Tim Jones down in Aiken in the pre-training and then we do our
own horses on the farm at home, explained Marcus Ryan. The couple, married for three years now, have pinhooked one
horse a year for the last four years. They were able to purchase the Silver Train colt for $7,500 at last year=s Midlantic
Fall sale on the advice of Chris Welker. We bought him outside the ring and through some friends who put us in the right direction, Ryan explained. I was looking at another horse, but he went for too much money and Crystal told me I had to come
down and look at this horse. She is 100% a great judge of horses.
Crystal Ryan acknowledged she had big hopes leading the colt into the ring Tuesday, but the final We were thinking around $50-60,000, she said. We knew we had something special, but being by Silver Train we weren’t sure what would happen. Asked if this was the couple’s biggest success, Crystal Ryan said, By far. This is all of the rest of them put together.
Crystal Ryan is a Michigan native who had been riding reining horses before transitioning to Thoroughbreds. Marcus Ryan is a transplanted Irishman who had been involved in steeple chasing. The morning we bought our first horse is the day we
got engaged, Marcus Ryan recalled. A friend of ours told me, you know it’s serious when you buy a yearling together, the ring is definitely coming, Crystal Ryan laughed. That just seals it. Marcus proposed to me here in Timonium
HnR Nothhaft Horseracing LLC bred the PABRED and sold this filly @ the Keeneland Mixed Stock Sale in November 2013 as Hip 509. Sulis was purchased at the November 2012 Mixed Stock sale for HnR by Bloodstock Agent Carl McEntee now with Darby Dan. Sulis was domiciled at Northview PA and Sulis 13 was foaled at Northview. The featured photo is Sulis at Northview 2 months old. Article on Sale http://silvertrainsire.com/hnr-nothhaft-horseracing-pa-bred-filly-captures-highest-priced-honors-day-3-of-keeneland-november-sale/
This filly was pinhooked at the Keeneland September 2014 yearling sale and is now up for sale for the third time. We hope the connections hit a home run and that she gets a chance to race in PA. Photo by Hank Nothhaft
Hip No. 464
Consigned by de Meric Sales, Agent VI
Dark Bay or Brown Filly
Foaled February 11, 2013
By HARLAN’S HOLIDAY (1999). Black-type winner of $3,632,664, Florida Derby [G1] (GP, $600,000), etc. Sire of 9 crops of racing age, 1108 foals, 700 starters, 56 black-type winners, 515 winners of 1398 races and earning $45,822,877, 3 champions, including Shanghai Bobby ($1,857,000, Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile [G1] (SA, $1,080,000), etc.), and of Into Mischief ($597,080, CashCall Futurity [G1] (HOL, $403,000), etc.), Majesticperfection [G1] (5 wins, $310,430), Pretty Girl [G1] (to 3, 2014).
1st dam SULIS, by Maria’s Mon. Winner at 2 and 3, $134,363, in Canada. (Total: $130,- 732). Dam of 1 other registered foal, none of racing age.
2nd dam MEDICINE WOMAN, by Dr. Blum. 7 wins in 12 starts at 4 and 5, $161,427, Brown & Williamson H. [G3], Candy Eclair Breeders’ Cup H. (GP, $38,811), 2nd Queen Breeders’ Cup S. (TP, $10,555), 3rd Thoroughbred Club of America S. [G3]. Dam of 13 foals, 11 to race, 10 winners, including–
INTERN (g. by Dynaformer). 13 wins, 3 to 11, $392,729, Sea O Erin Breed- ers’ Cup Mile H. [L] (AP, $72,780), Mister Gus S. (AP, $25,425), 2nd Lou- isiana H. [L] (FG, $15,000).
LOVE MEDICINE (f. by Mining). 6 wins at 3 and 4, $149,561, West Long Branch S. (MTH, $24,000), 2nd Star Shoot S. [L] (WO, $16,215(CAN)). Dam of 7 foals, 5 to race, all winners, including–
I’M THETIGER (g. by Siphon (BRZ)). 7 wins, 3 to 5, $580,371, in N.A./ U.S., Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash S. [G1] (LRL, $180,000), etc.; placed in 1 start at 5, $15,980, in Canada. (Total: $593,662).
HOT LEAR (f. by Lear Fan). 4 wins in 7 starts to 4, $106,050, Santa Clara H. (BM, $25,230), Bay Meadows Debutante S. (BM, $19,670), Court- ship S. (BM, $19,600), 2nd Fremont H. (BM, $9,000), etc. Dam of–
FLAMING HEART (f. by Touch Gold). 4 wins to 5, $185,914, in N.A./U.S., Strolling Belle S.-R (AQU, $37,350), etc.; winner in 2 starts at 5, $67,- 500, in Canada, Hill ‘n’ Dale S. [L] (WO, $60,000). (Total: $245,961). Dam of LAUGHTRACK (c. by Distorted Humor, Total: $598,014, Vigil S. [G3] (WO, $94,500), etc.), Commissioner (c. by A.P. Indy, 2 wins to 3, 2014, $515,767, 2nd Belmont S. [G1] (BEL, $280,000), etc.).
Dash for Money (f. by General Meeting). Winner at 2, $53,202, 3rd Railbird S. [G3] (HOL, $12,864). Dam of SO LONESOME (g. by Awesome Again, to 3, 2014, $394,067), NO SPIN (g. by Johannesburg, to 5, 2014, $364,813), Ack Naughty (f. by Afleet Alex, at 2, 2014, $56,000).
Love Torch. Unraced. Dam of Reserve Love (f. by Philanthropist, at 2, 2014, Total: $53,021, 3rd South Ocena S-R(WO, $12,500)).
by Henry R. “Hank” Nothhaft
A year ago we received the terrible news that Silver Train had died while traveling to quarantine in Brazil awaiting his return to the U.S. Even though he was accompanied by a veterinarian, when he became ill, he died before reaching a equine hospital.
He exhibited symptoms similar to colic, was treated accordingly and colic was initially given the cause of death. A detailed necropsy discovered that Silver Train died from a virulent, pathogenic Streptococcus pneumonia that attacked his lungs and other organs resulting in his demise.
Silver Train produced 7 crops in North American consisting of 412 foals. His 354 foals of racing age produced solid statistics. 80% of the foals of racing age started, while 60% are winners. The average winning distance of this group is slightly less than 7 furlongs indicating a propensity to produce dirt sprinters and milers. He also has many repeat winners and stands second in the Mid-Atlantic this year one win behind Rockport Harbor. Perhaps the standout statistic for Silver Train is his outstanding and improving 17 starts per starter.
We miss Silver Train, but are fortunate to have six of his off spring in our stable. 5 will be of racing age this year, with a filly coming along in 2016. She is named Silber Zug out of Aloft by Unbridled Song, which is Silver Train in German. Silber Zug is a full sister to Shenango Valley. We have included a number of our favorite photos of The Train.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Silver Train
Sire Old Trieste
Grandsire A.P. Indy
Dam Ridden In The Stars
Damsire Cormorant
Sex Stallion
Foaled February 11, 2002
Country United States
Colour Brown
Breeder Mulholland Farm
Owner Buckram Oak Farm
Trainer Richard E. Dutrow, Jr.
Record 17: 6-3-4
Earnings $1,259,345
Major wins
Jerome Handicap (2005)
Tom Fool Handicap (2006)
Metropolitan Handicap (2006)
Breeders’ Cup wins:
Breeders’ Cup Sprint (2005)
Last updated on July 22, 2007
Silver Train (foaled February 11, 2002) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by Joe Mulholland and family in Georgetown, Kentucky, he was out of the mare Ridden In The Stars and sired by Old Trieste, a son of U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee A.P. Indy.
Purchased by the Buckram Oak Farm of Mahmoud Fustok, at age two Silver Train raced four times, winning once and finishing second twice. At age three in 2005, he won three times, including the Grade II Jerome Handicap, plus had three third-place finishes. Ridden by Edgar Prado in the most important win of his career, Silver Train overtook a tiring Lost in the Fog in midstretch and held off a fast charging Taste of Paradise to win the 6 Furlong Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Belmont Park.
Sold in 2006 to Four Roses Thoroughbreds, Silver Train won the Grade II Tom Fool Handicap and the Grade I Metropolitan Mile. In October’s Vosburgh Stakes, he ran a disappointing last in a five-horse field. Believing the horse might be out of his element in attempting a second straight win in the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Sprint, trainer Richard E. Dutrow, Jr. opted to run him in November’s Cigar Mile Handicap where he ran third to Discreet Cat. Silver Train was then retired to stand at stud for the 2007 season at the Vinery Kentucky in Lexington. In 2011, Silver Train was purchased by HnR Nothhaft Horseracing LLC and moved to Northview PA. Silver Train was number one in winners among 2nd year sires in 2011.
Kindle winning the Cool Air Stakes at Hollywood Park
Kindle, a blazingly fast, chestnut mare, by Indian Charlie out of Carson City mare Carson’s Vanity has retired from racing to become a broodmare prospect domiciled at Darby Dan in Kentucky. Kindle was purchased as a yearling at the Keeneland September sale, 2009, for $50,000 by HnR Nothhaft Horseracing, Trained by Gary Mandella, Kindle went on to hit the board in all six stakes attempts, winning the Cool Air Stakes and the Bangles and Beads Stakes. She placed 2nd twice in the Grade 2 Monrovia Stakes, 2rd in the Grade 3 Ken Maddy Stakes and 3rd in the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes. Reflecting on Kindle’s career, owner Hank Nothhaft stated, “Kindle was brilliantly fast, extremely exciting to watch as she always ran from the front giving her all in every race. I am thrilled to add this athletic filly to my broodmare band.” She will be bred to two time Horse of the Year and Breeders’ Cup Classic Winner Tiznow in 2015.” Her speed resulted in top five Beyer Speed numbers for turf fillies in 2012 and 2013. Unraced as a two year old and plagued by minor injuries throughout her career, Kindle started 11 times 3 to 6, winning 4, placing 4 times and showing once while winning $243,000. Displaying her versatility, she won races on all-weather, dirt and turf surfaces.
Henry R “Hank” Nothhaft Photo Anne Litz Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred
This Article Originally appeared in the June 2014 Issue of Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred
It appears here in its’ entirety with Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred’s permission.
This article authored by Cindy Deubler
Click on Photos for larger image and captions. Supplemental videos added to this article.
Henry R “Hank” Nothhaft knows business. Studying spreadsheets, business plans and bottom lines is second nature to the Pennsylvania native who resides in California and made a career of taking hightech start-up companies in California’s Silicon Valley and nurturing them into multi-million-dollar businesses. Nothhaft applies his business acumen to Thoroughbred racing and breeding and has his plans in place. Locking onto the Pennsylvania breeding program, the affable and energetic CEO has leaped in with both feet, building a broodmare band he boards at Northview PA in Peach Bottom, investing in stallions, and creating a racing stable on both coasts. And he’s enjoying every minute of it.
“As a lifelong entrepreneur I knew I’d be bored out of my mind when I retired, so I thought ‘I’m going to have to start a business to run before retirement occurs,’ ” said Nothhaft, 70, during one of his trips to Pennsylvania over the winter to visit his growing broodmare band. “So I did an analytical approach. . . the competition, the data-driven aspects, the massive amounts of bloodlines. It had always appealed to me – it’s very competitive, instant feedback, outsourcing model, no employees, and so on. I put together a bunch of factors and I chose horse racing and breeding.”
Nothhaft (pronounced note-off) was born and raised in western Pennsylvania, near the Ohio border, and had no previous background with horses. His earliest introduction to live racing came at the Standardbred tracks near Columbus, Ohio,as a teenager. It was a fun diversion. Nothhaft went the military route early in his career – he graduated from the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., and was a Marine captain who served in Vietnam – and followed that with graduate school, which led to his introduction to the technology world, which led to sales for high-tech companies in the 1970s. “That’s very close to being an entrepreneur,” said Nothhaft, who is quick to admit that he always wants to succeed in anything he tries to do. “Next thing you know, I wanted to be more than the guy selling the stuff, I wanted to be more involved in the company and running it.”
Nothhaft’s passion for the American dream is boundless. The loss of business in recent decades in the Silicon Valley prompted him to write the highly acclaimed book Great Again, which came out in 2011 and explores solutions to return the United States to prominence as an innovation leader in the world. More than ready to speak out about the political climate in Pennsylvania and its adverse effect on the breeding industry when discussions come up about taking away incentives.
Hank with Randie’s Legend in foal to Stormy Atlantic
Photo Anne Litz Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred
“People who are serious about making significant investments in any industry, including Thoroughbreds, like to have a long-term horizon. And some predictability,” said Nothhaft. “So if the landscape is negative, you can take that into effect and decide whether you want to be in that business. If you have a positive environment and positive incentives, which Pennsylvania certainly has, but you think they are fleeting and may be taken away at any time, it’s very hard to make multimillion-dollar long-term investments in the industry.”
Nothhaft slips easily into using corporate-world terms when describing his Thoroughbred operation. “The goal is to breed to race and sell and get quality to the point where it becomes self-sustaining or grows from the reinvestment of the profit.” He owns approximately a dozen broodmares, has a stable in California with trainer Gary Mandella and another string at Parx Racing with trainer Keith Nations, who had been based in California. “My commitment to Pennsylvania racing is bolstered by Nations’ move to Parx as my exclusive [East Coast] trainer,” he said. As with any business plan, adjustments are often necessary. Nothhaft initially started purchasing horses in California in 2006, but when the financial market experienced its setback in 2008, he sold off all his California assets (although he still has one broodmare in production in the state) and decided to relocate to Pennsylvania because of the strength of the state-bred program. Nothhaft had already done a lot of homework. “In 2006 I started scratching the surface of studying pedigrees,” he recalled. “I wrote a business plan. This was part of that analysis I did. I went to a couple of seminars that the Thoroughbred Owners of California ran, learning the ins and outs of horse racing, what all the rules were, tax implications and record keeping, breeding. Then I plugged into The Blood-Horse [magazine]. I bought all the books in their library, from breeding theories totaking care of mares. Even though I don’t run a farm, I read all those books and watched all their videos on how to evaluate horse flesh.
“I spent a lot of time self-educating, and then I started meeting people in the business through these seminars and asking a lot of questions. I’ll be quite honest – some of the people I got involved with initially, I made poor choices. They weren’t terrible people, they just weren’t effective and not the right people for me. It’s good I got started to breed to race in California and we had the massive setback. It hit me in the face.”
Hank and Gary Mandella Santa Anita Paddock Area
Photo Hank Nothhaft Jr.
One solid connection Nothhaft made in California was Mandella, his trainer since 2010. Purchasing yearlings for Nothhaft under the HnR Nothhaft Horse Racing banner, Mandella and bloodstock agent Mary Knight selected the Indian Charlie filly Kindle at the Keeneland September Yearling sale in 2009 for the novice owner,
spending $50,000.
Kindle Battles Mizdirectin in Grade II Monrovia Stakes
Benoit Photo
Kindle has overcome numerous setbacksto win or place in nine of 11 starts, take two stakes and hit the board in four graded races. She even pushed two-time Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint-G1 champion Mizdirection in last year’s Grade 2 Monrovia Stakes at Santa Anita, losing by a half-length. Destined for Nothhaft’s broodmare band, the 6-year-old once again went to the sidelines in January following a solid second in the 2014 Monrovia, her first start in nearly a year. Back in training, she is being prepared for the Royal Northern Stakes at Woodbine in late July. Should all go well, a trip to Parx for the Grade 3 Turf Monster in September is on the agenda before returning to California.
Another significant accomplishment for Nothhaft came through his association with bloodstock advisor Carl McEntee, formerly with Ghost Ridge Farm and Northview PA before leaving for Darby Dan in Kentucky. The two met in the fall of 2010, and McEntee has advised Nothhaft on purchases of broodmares and European-based fillies at the track. Among the broodmares was Sulis, a young winning daughter of Maria’s Mon who cost Nothhaft $105,000 at the 2012 Keeneland November sale while carrying her first foal. Three months later, Sulis delivered a filly by Harlan’s Holiday at Northview PA. In November, the filly was in the sales ring at Keeneland, selling for $250,000, the top price for a Pennsylvania bred weanling last year.
“Carl has an uncanny eye and a willingness to have a discipline in bidding for horses when buying mares, yearlings or whatever,” said Nothhaft. “We set very specific goals and budgets. . . I go to all the auctions now that I’m retired – even beforeI was retired I went to most of them. Carl and I will sit there and agree on a price before we walk into the room. We haven’t chased the horses – we’ve passed on hundreds But because of our good planning and discipline, we ended up buying a horse like Sulis. A fantastic buy.
“Our goal has always been to buy the mare in foal, and have the first foal cover the purchase. And so far, other than a couple I kept myself that we could have sold for that, we’ve accomplished that.” Another rising star found by McEntee is the 4-year-old filly Living The Life (Ire), a daughter of Two Thousand Guineas-G1 winner Footstepsinthesand out of a Machiavellian mare. Purchased in February in England for $60,000 and transferred to the Newmarket training yard of McEntee’s brother Phil, Living The Life has since
won twice in four starts over the all-weather track at Lingfield.
Carl McEntee Hank Nothhaft Phil McEntee Stakes Winner Living the Life Lingfield
Photo Becky McEntee
Her final start before shipping to California came in the $252,000 All-Weather Championship Fillies and Mares Condition Stakes April18, which she won easily. She will be pointed to the Del Mar meet this summer. “Part of my plan is to buy pedigreed fillies in the U.K. for value prices equal to their U.S. residual value and then try to step them up by succeeding on the track in the U.S.,” said Nothhaft. Two other fillies following that path are Macaabra (Ire), a 4-year-old daughter of the hot international sire Exceed And Excel out of a Sadler’s Wells mare, and the Irish-bred Halljoy (by Halling), Group 3 placed in England last year at 2. Macaabra joined the Mandella barn in 2013, and won an allowance race at Santa Anita this year. Halljoy shipped to the U.S. with Living The Life and is awaiting her first start in the HnR Nothhaft Horse Racing colors.
Living the LIfe Jockey Adam Kirbey led by Phil McEntee Trainer Hank Nothhaft Owner to Winners Circle AW Championship
Those silks have special meaning to Nothhaft – they are Navy blue and gold. “I have the same relationship with the Naval Academy as I have with horses, I love it,” he said. And while Nothhaft’s wife Randie and sons Hank and Ryan and their families enjoy the horses and going to the track onthe West Coast, he said it “has turned into more of a business for them because it’s isolated from them.” But Nothhaft can’t help naming horses for family members. One of his most prized broodmares, somewhat to his wife’s chagrin, is Randie’s Legend. Nothhaft laughed when he said, “My wife said I could continue in horse racing as long as I
didn’t name another horse after her.”Another was named First Blue Angel (in honor of his father-in-law Capt. Roy Marlin “Butch” Voris, who founded the Navy’s Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron). And when he had two grandsons born a month apart this past year, Nothhaft named a California-bred yearling using their first names, Sawyer and Jett. “When Sawyer’s Jett goes to the track, we’re all going to go. I had named her something else, but when we had the two babies, I wanted to name a horse after them that they could see.” Nothhaft supports numerous stallions, but connected immediately with two. Smarty Jones was among the first horses he invested in when launching his Pennsylvania operation. Nothhaft not only owns shares of the Pennsylvania-bred star, but revealed “I have a poster of a movie they’ve done on Smarty Jones. I have a Moneigh by Smarty Jones. I’m a true fan of Smarty Jones.”
Smarty Jones Enjoying the Sun Northview Mar 2014
Photo Henry R “Hank” Nothhaft
He also had a special connection to Breeders’ Cup Sprint-G1 winner Silver Train. Standing a stallion in the region was an integral part of Nothhaft’s initial business plan and his analysis led him to look for a horse who could stand at a fee to suit the region, throw winners at distances up to a mile, and produce durable runners. Silver Train checked every box he moved to Pennsylvania for the 2012 season. The millionaire and A.P. Indy grandson was well received during his two years in the state and provided Nothhaft an opportunity to experiment. Soon after his arrival, Silver Train had a website and Facebook page.“I feel horse racing is an under-covered sport,” said Nothhaft. “So we had our own website, and we could put up any information on Silver Train that we wanted instantly. I had a blog, I wrote a lot of the articles that were there. We had a very active Facebook page. We had really core, true followers who were following the horse. I did a lot of that activity personally. So I learned that social media can be a powerful force.”
The use of social media remains important to Nothhaft, whose mare Kindle has a Facebook page (HnR’s Kindle) and a section on the Silver Train website.
Silver Train Breeders Cup Sprint Champion
Photo Henry R “Hank” Nothhaft
“It’s amazing when we put a note on there, the interest levels we’ve got on her,” Nothhaft said. “We’re trying to create value, and Kindle is a brand. She’s got a following. People want to know when she’s racing. I’m going to try to have some of my horses as the HnR brand. Hopefully that [Harlan’s Holiday] foal we sold will go to Saratoga. I hope they get a million dollars and I won’t have any regrets. I own Sulis,
and I sold the horse for good money, and it would help our brand. That’s how you have to look at it.”
The loss of Silver Train, who colicked while in quarantine in Brazil after standing in the Southern Hemisphere last fall, was an emotional blow to Nothhaft. And it was a blow from a business point of view. “I do insure myself, so it wasn’t a nearterm loss of capital, it was the business momentum,” said Nothhaft, who owned 87.5 percent of Silver Train. “It takes years to get this pipeline going and we had two years worth of getting him going and we were ready to press on the accelerator. It was a setback.”Nothhaft has moved away from stallion ownership.
Will El Padrino become the next great Pulpit Sire
Photo Anne Litz Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred
“As far as being an entrepreneur you have to assimilate that, reassess your plan, look at your strengths and weaknesses, see where you are and go forth,” he said. “I’ve definitely shifted the emphasis very heavily to high-quality mares, with some ownership of seasons as it makes sense. I found I really don’t need to own the stallion and it gives me more flexibility.” In addition to his interest in Smarty Jones, Nothhaft has shares in Northview PA stallions Jump Start and El Padrino. Nothhaft also uses stallions in Kentucky, this year sending mares to, among others, Scat Daddy, Gio Ponti, Tale of Ekati and Dunkirk. Nothhaft plans to keep his Silver Train offspring to race. He has five yearlings by the stallion, including a colt named Thepennsylvaniakid. The final Silver Train foal bred in his name, a filly out of the Unbridled’s Song mare Aloft born April 19, will be named Silber Zug, which is German for Silver Train. “I’m German by heritage. . . I generally don’t name horses that I might sell – so that one’s a keeper.” This year’s Pennsylvania foal crop for the breeder numbers nine, including a Scat Daddy filly out of Sulis, a Stormy Atlantic colt out of Randie’s Legend and a Ghostzapper colt out of Canary Diamond, one of Nothhaft’s more recent purchases, out of the Adena Springs consignment at Keeneland last November.
The Pennsylvania Kid (s)
Photo Anne Litz Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred
“The thing I do like about horse racing, it’s a constant, instant feedback on your decisions and how you are doing,” said Nothhaft. “Between the racing stock, the ones in the pipeline, the broodmares, the foals and everything we’ve got going, there is constant feedback on your decisions and how well you are doing and how well you are managing your business.
“It’s just exciting, I just have a passion for it. Everything I have ever been involved with I’ve had a passion for it. I don’t have many regrets, if any, but one is I wish I would have gone into this business 20 or 30 years ago, because it’s a long lead-time business. To do it yourself, and bootstrap it, and create the success yourself takes time.”
Photo Anne Litz Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred
Nothhaft appears to have found the formula of mixing business with pleasure. “Having a long-term plan, and setting achievable stretch goals, and managing that plan – that could work in any business. So you get into the horse-racing arena – I’m sure this is true of startups in technology too – some companies have very concise goals, very well thought out plans, they execute, they review their results, they adjust accordingly and so on. Those outfits sometimes can succeed without having the best technology. That certainly applies to the horse industry. “[The racing industry] has a variety – big companies to the individual participant. But at any level, the person who has the appropriate plan will be the most successful. I really believe this.”
Silver Train Enjoying a Fast Start as a 4th year Sire
In promoting a Stallion to prospective breeders, owners rightfully emphasize money earned, winners, and repeat winners. Also, a “homerun” at an auction for the sale of an off spring at a good price is almost certain to result in immediate outward promotion of the Stallion.
Recently, “Blood-horse Magazine” published a study by Research Today sponsored by the Grayson Jockey Club Research Foundation tracking two additional key metrics valuable in making breeding decisions. These are important if you breed to sell because they will help determine what others will be willing to pay for your foal, but if you breed to race they are invaluable because they will likely determine your profitability not to mention how much excitement, enjoyment and fun your horse will generate for you.
One is Lifetime % of Foals of Racing Age Started. In order to be listed, a sire had to be in the top 200 official ranking for 2012. With the % of horses that reach the races around 70%, leaders in this category are seen to be way above average. Approximately 75% of Silver Train’s foals reach the starter’s gate making him a very attractive choice based on these criteria.
The other key criteria in this study are average starts per starter. The decline in this metric is seen as an indicator of the “decrease in the durability” of thoroughbreds. According to the Grayson Jockey Club study the average starts per year for North American starters have decreased from 11 in 1960 to 6.31 in 2012. It has been under 7 since year 2000. There are many reasons for this decline, but undeniably, one is the soundness and economic viability of the offspring of a Sire. If a thoroughbred is sound, generates modest veterinary bills, and at least comes close to covering its’ upkeep, the horse will continue to race.
Only one 4th crop sire made the Grayson-Jockey Club list because they have a limited number of older horses that are racing. Therefore, it is revealing to compare Silver Train to the top 25 Sires in his Sire Class. Only one stallion has better races per starter rating than Silver Train’s current 11.85 starts per starter. Silver Train’s races per racer number have continued to improve rapidly and were 11.1 three months ago in December 2012
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What does this all mean? If you are breeding in the Mid-Atlantic region and you want to produce a profitable racehorse, you should give serious consideration to Silver Train. He is 2nd in PA and 5th in the Northeast based on earnings. He has earned this status even though he is just a 4th year sire. He is also, 2nd in PA in winners, 3rd in the Northeast and 31st Nationally. When it comes to repeat winners, he is 1st in PA and 1st in the Northeast and 4th Nationally.
Couple this with 75% foals of racing age getting to the starter’s gate, 11.85 starts per starter and a fair priced $5000 stud fee, Silver Train represents real value, if not The Best Value among stallions in the Mid-Atlantic.
A Pensive Silver Train
Silver Train The Artist
Silver Train with his Monet
