News

High Mark “HnR’s Breeders’ Cup Win”

Nothhaft ranks Finest City score in Breeders’ Cup among top achievements  

Article Written by Tom Law

Published in Mid Atlantic Thoroughbred Magazine Dec, 2016  

Breeders’ Cup Photos courtesy Racing Heart Photography

Photos from HnR Nothhaft Horseracing Library who holds rights to utilize on HnRRacing.com

Henry R “Hank” Nothhaft got involved with racing toward the tail end of a career in the high-technology industry knowing he’d need a challenge and something to feel passionate about as retirement loomed.

“I’d gotten into the horse racing business because I knew that being in high tech, that I’d retire, the inevitable cycle of life,” Nothhaft said.  “I’m still very interested in it, but I don’t have the overwhelming passion that I had when I first got in it, so I was looking for something else to do.  So approximately 10 years ago I got involved. ”

“I didn’t know anything to tell you the truth.  I didn’t know how little I really knew.  I thought I knew about it, but after a while I realized how naive I really was.” Nothhaft, a first generation American who grew up in Western Pennsylvania and runs his operation HnR Nothhaft Horseracing, admits he’s still got plenty to learn, but he also knows now what it feels like to breed a winner at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.  Nothhaft found that out Nov. 5 as Pennsylvania-bred Finest City upset the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint G1 at Santa Anita Park.

Ironically Nothhaft’s first Breeders’ Cup victory came in a race he was expected to be represented as an owner, with Living the Life (IRE), who missed the race due to injury.  Nothhaft watched the Breeders’ Cup from his home in Saratoga CA, with his family, and Finest City’s three-quarter-length win over 2015 Filly and Mare Sprint winner Wavell Avenue factored heavily in a huge weekend for her breeder.

The day after Finest City’s victory, Nothhaft was on hand at Golden Gate Fields to see her 2 year old half-sister, the Pennsylvania-bred Tale of the Cat filly Grand Prix, break her maiden in her fourth start.  Nothhaft relished those victories, along with several other on Breeders’ Cup weekend that bolstered his breeding program.  “Given my horses and who I’m planning on breeding to, it couldn’t have been any better,” he said.  “I have a Gio Ponti and a Gio Ponti won (the Sprint) with Drefong.  I haves a Pioneer of the Nile and I’m considering him as the breeding choice for Living the Life and Kindle, another mare I own.  He won (the Juvenile) with Classic Empire.  I have a Tiznow colt on the ground and Tourist won (the Mile).  I’m a City Zip maniac and Finest City won.

“So how could you have a better day than that, short of Living the Life not having won the race?  And not to mention Navy beat Notre Dame for the 13th time in 90 years Saturday.  How could you haves a better day than that?”

smallNV.Hank_.Nothhaft.23

Henry R. “Hank” Nothhaft @Northview PA

The seedlings of Nothhaft’s memorable weekend were planted back in 2011, when he and bloodstock agent Carl McEntee worked the Keeneland November breeding stock sales in search of broodmare prospects.  Nothhaft met McEntee, formerly of Ghost Ridge Farm and Northview PA in Pennsylvania and now with Darby Dan Farm in Kentucky, during the re-syndication of champion Smarty Jones.  The two also worked on the purchase of Pennsylvania stallion Silver Train and were shopping for mares to breed to the son of Old Trieste when Be Envied went through the ring at Keeneland.  “My goal was to support Silver Train,”

Nothhaft said.  “I had a really strong belief in the Pennsylvania incentives, both the breeding and owners’ awards.  I had a little bit of an emotional attachment to the State considering I was born there.”  “I started to develop a broodmare band to support the sire.  We set a budget, had criteria we were looking for and we were buying in foal mares at auctions.  Considering a guy like me getting involved at such a late stage you’ve got to buy mares in foal if you’re going to accelerate your entry into the industry, unless you’re just writing blank checks and giving all your profits to somebody else.  Having been a a high-tech entrepreneur I was thinking about building a business from scratch, putting capital in, doing a lot of boot-strapping of the business.  That was my mentality.”

Nothhaft bought Be Envied for $37,000.  She was sold in foal to City Zip and the resulting foal born at Northview PA in Peach Bottom in 2012 was Finest City.  Understanding the realities of running  his breeding program like any other business and looking to generate cash flow, Nothhaft entered the weanling City Zip filly, then named City Envy in the 2012 Keeneland November sale.  “I’d named the horse so I wasn’t planning on selling, but after looking at the foals on one of my trips to Pennsylvania and some casual conversations, we said, “Let’s seriously consider selling this foal if we can get enoughmoney for it,” Nothhaft said.  “Enough money would be over $100,000 for a weanling out of a mare we paid $37,000 for.  She was vetted, she was beautiful, we moved her to Northview Maryland to do sales prep and everything was rolling.  We hired Hunter Valley Farm, which is a high-end and reputable consignor.  They’re great for a guy like me.  We got her down to Kentucky, prep her and we’re all very optimistic.  At the sale she’s getting a lot of looks and scopes.  She was on fire.”

Be Envied 12 Finest City Hunter Valley Keeneland

City Envy (now) Finest City and Hank Nothhaft Keeneland November Sale

Nothhaft, McEntee and Hunter Valley’s Fergus Galvin hoped the filly would bring as much as $150,000 after all the presale action, but were conservative in putting her reserve at $50,000.  “When she sold I went in the room–this was the first horse I ever bred that I sold–and there was some bidding initially but it started slow; ran up in small increments,” Nothhaft said.  “The last bid was $50,000 and she sold.  I couldn’t understand it, Fergus couldn’t understand it, Carl couldn’t understand it.  Well, we go back and it comes to our attention that we thought the X-rays were clean, but it turns out the last set taken weren’t completely clean.  She had a small OCD issue, and selling as a weanling basically to pinhookers, that’s tough.  The people that were looking at her were flunking her and moving on to somebody else, but we didn’t know it at the time.” Cobra Farm bought the filly, and resold her for $85,000 at the 2013 Keeneland September yearling sale to Seltzer Thoroughbreds, which celebrated her victory in the Filly and Mare Sprint with trainer Ian Kruljac.

Finest City 6

Finest City with Mike Smith up makes winning Breeders’ Cup Move

Nothhaft bred Be Envied to Silver Train and she produced a filly, subsequently named Move in 2013.  Nothhaft sent Be Envied to Tale of the Cat in 2013, the resulting foal being the winner Grand Prix, and Silver Train died after standing in the Southern Hemisphere in December 2013.  Be Envied was bred to Tale of Ekati and later in the year was entered in the Keeneland November sale.  She failed to meet her reserve on a final bid of $24,000, but was sold privately after going through the ring to representatives of breeders in India.

GRAND PRIX ACT 2

Grand Prix Wins Maiden with ease

Nothhaft said he doesn’t regret selling Finest City or Be Envied.  “I race, maybe if I was only a breeder I would have second thoughts, but I know the racing risk, and how these animals are,” he said.  “I’m so happy for these people and the success they had.  They did all the right moves.  During all of this I’ve been nothing but elated for the horse, the connections and everybody involved.  They bought an animal that had some known issues at that time, but were willing to take the risk.  On top of that you still had all the racing luck issues you deal with anyway.  Plus I own the two half sisters so I’m ecstatic.”

Though he was the only winner, Nothhaft wasn’t the only Mid-Atlantic breeder at the Breeder’s Cup.  Six horses bred in the region competed in the 13 races-four in Pennsylvania, one in Maryland and one in Virginia.

City Envy Mar 30 2012

 Finest City day old foal @Northview Stallion Station PA

Grand Prix Yearling

Grand Prix Yearling

Be Envied 2014 Sep 10 2014

 

Grand Prix Weanling

Move TBD Jan 20 2016

 Move by Silver Train out of Be Envied

Be Envied

 Be Envied by Lemon Drop Kid

MISTER NOFTY LODGES DELP UPSET

Mister Nofty

Photos Hoofprints

From a Delaware Park release

Hank Nothhaft’s HnR Nothhaft Horse Racing’s Mister Nofty notched his first career stake victory in upset fashion in the $50,000 Grover “Buddy” Delp Memorial at Delaware Park Wednesday.

With Brian Pedroza aboard, the 3-year-old son of Scat Daddy won by a neck and returned $34.40. The even-money favorite in the field of nine, Doctor Mounty with Edgar Prado, finished second. It was another 1 1/2-lengths further back to Pizmo Time, with Trevor McCaarthy, in third.

Mister Nofty cut early fractions of :47.34 for the mile and 1:10.93 for the three-quarters mile before completing the mile and a sixteenth in 1:43.02 over a fast main track.

The Pennsylvania-bred trained by Keith Nations raised his career record to four wins from eight starts with earnings of $119,870. In his previous outing, he won a mile and seventy yard Pennsylvania-bred restricted allowance on the grass at Parx on August 9th.

“I am a little overwhelmed,” said winning trainer Keith Nations. “I thought he would run a good race. He really has gotten better. But it is a great honor to win a race like this named after a Delaware Park legend. This race came up pretty tough for a $50,000 stake. When we entered, I thought we would be one of the favorites and we ended up around 16-to-1. We are not sure where we will go next with him. We just want to enjoy this one for a few days and see how he comes out of the race.”

Kindle Produces Tiznow Colt

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Kindle 2016 side view Jan 272016 Kin

Kindle 2016 Front view Jan 27 2016

http://www.winstarfarm.com/horses/tiznow-2021.html#hh-overview

Living The Life eyes elusive stakes win on dirt

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

Silver Train Makes Gold for Ryans

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

Las Cienegas Stakes Draws 15 nominations including Living the Life

Living the Life with Flavien Prat upHnR Nothhaft Horseracing Living the Life Set to Makes U.S. turf debut in the Las Cienegas Stakes

Living the Life trained by Gary Mandella is targeted to make her second start of 2015 at Santa Anita on April 11th.  This will mark Living the Life’s U.S. turf debut and her first time on the turf since Leicester, 23 Sep 2013 in a 7 furlong affair on the difficult 7 furlong course.  She won impressively pulling away from a field of 16 by 6 lengths at the end.  Living the Life’s connections moved her to the All-Weather surface her next start and never tried her on the grass again.  The Leicester course is often used to prepare horses for the difficult up hill sprint course at Royal Ascot.

41st   Running   Of

Las   Cienegas   Stakes

$100,000   Guaranteed

(Grade   III)

FOR  FILLIES  AND  MARES  FOUR  YEARS  OLD  AND  UPWARD  By  subscription  of  $100  each  to  accompany  the  nomination  or  by  supplementary  nomination  of  $2,000  at

time  of  entry.  $1,500  additional  to  start  with  $100,000  guaranteed  of  which  $60,000  to  the  winner,  $20,000  to  second,  $12,000  to  third,  $6,000  to  fourth  and  $2,000  to  fifth.

123  lbs.  Non-winners  of  a  Graded  stake  since  October  11,  2014  allowed  3  lbs.  Non-winners  of  a  Graded  stake  since  April  11,  2014,  allowed  5  lbs.  Total  earnings  in  non

claiming  races  will  be  used  in  determining  the  preference  of  horses  with  equal  weights.  Starters  to  be  named  through  the  entry  box  by  the  closing  time  of  entries.  A  trophy  will

be  presented  to  the  winning  owner.

ABOUT  SIX  AND  ONE  HALF  FURLONGS  (HILLSIDE  TURF  COURSE)

TO  BE  RUN  SATURDAY,  APRIL  11,  2015

Horse                                                                                      Owner                                                                                                   Trainer

 

AMELIATHEAVIATOR                               b.f.4                        Dennis  Narlinger                                                                       Kristin  Mulhall

 

 

BLINGISMYTHING                                     b.m.5                      Class  Racing  Stable                                                                       J.  Eric  Kruljac

 

 

DIVINA  COMEDIA  (FR)                          gr/ro.f.4                     OBS:  Marsha  Naify                                                                       J.  C.  Canani

 

 

FANTICOLA                                                     dk  b/.m.5                 Fanticola  or  Scardino                                                                       Philip  D’  Amato

 

 

GO  WEST  MARIE                                        ch.f.4                      Peter  Redekop  B.C.,  Ltd                                                                       Eddie  Truman

 

 

HEAVENS  STAIRWAY                              b.m.5                      AJM  Racing,  LLC  or  J  B  K  Stable                                                                       Martin  F.  Jones

 

 

HOME  JOURNEY                                        b.m.5                      GGG  Stables  or  Sarno                                                                       Mike  Puype

 

 

INDECISE                                                         b.m.6                      L.  Jean  Daley                                                                                   Richard  Mandella

 

 

LIVING  THE  LIFE  (IRE)                        b.m.5                      HnR  Nothhaft  Horse  Racing,  LLC                                        Gary  Mandella

 

 

QIAONA                                                               ch.m.5                    Curt  &  Lila  Lanning,  LLC                                                                       Ed  Moger,  Jr.

 

 

SAGEBRUSH  QUEEN                               gr/ro.m.5                   Konecne  or  Mattei                                                                       Jorge  Gutierrez

 

 

SALSITA                                                       dk  b/.f.4                   Kenji  R.  Morinaga,  Jr.                                                                       Ricky  Agarie

 

 

SKY  HIGH  GAL                                       b.m.5                      Hronis  Racing,  LLC                                                                       John  Sadler

 

 

THEATRE  STAR                                     b.m.5                      Glen  Hill  Farm                                                                                                                                  Thomas  F.  Proctor

 

 

UNFORGETTABLE  U                                dk  b/.f.4                   Mojallali  Stables,  Inc.                                                                       Carl  O’Callaghan

 

CLOSED  THURSDAY,  APRIL  2,  2015  WITH  15  NOMINATIONS*

*PENDING  LATE  MAIL

 

 

 

RICK  HAMMERLE

RACING  SECRETARY

 

TORA  YAMAGUCHI

STAKES  COORDINATOR