Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, Santa Anita, 2016HnR bred Finest City, the Pennsylvania-bred mare who won the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint and took that year’s Eclipse Award as America’s champion female sprinter. Foaled at Northview-PA in the spring of 2012, she became one of only four Pennsylvania-breds to win a Breeders’ Cup race, joining Alphabet Soup, Go for Wand, and Tikkanen.
She came out of a mating HnR planned but never got to build on. Hank Nothhaft bought her dam, Be Envied, in foal to City Zip for $37,000 at the 2011 Keeneland November sale, with the intention of breeding the mare next to Silver Train, the HnR-owned winner of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and the Metropolitan Handicap, then standing at Northview-PA. That plan is why Be Envied was in Pennsylvania and why Finest City was foaled a PA-bred. Silver Train died of colic in December 2013 before the program could develop around him. Finest City was among the first foals of the Northview-PA broodmare band.
The market missed her. HnR offered her as a weanling at the 2012 Keeneland November sale, where presale radiographs showed a cyst-type shadow and stalled the bidding. She sold at her reserve for $50,000 to Cobra Farm, short of the roughly $150,000 HnR had hoped for. She changed hands again the following September, going as a yearling to Eric Kruljac, agent for Seltzer Thoroughbreds, for $85,000. Seltzer campaigned her for the whole of her racing career under trainer Ian Kruljac. She was the first horse Kruljac saddled under his own name, and she won that start, her second, a maiden special weight at Del Mar in August 2015.
Her three-year-old season was a working apprenticeship in Southern California. She broke her maiden at Del Mar, added an allowance there in October, and by December was testing graded company, where the class told: she ran sixth in the La Brea (G1) at Santa Anita in her first Grade 1 attempt.
The form arrived at four. In April 2016 she won the Great Lady M (G2) at Los Alamitos in 1:14.48, a track record, and posted her career-best Equibase Speed Figure of 114. She held that level through the summer and fall, placing in graded stakes on both dirt and turf at distances from six and a half furlongs to nine, and she came into the Breeders’ Cup off back-to-back turf efforts in the Yellow Ribbon (G2) and the John C. Mabee (G2), where she finished second.
The Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita on November 5, 2016, was the race of her career. Under Mike Smith, she tracked the early pace, took the lead into the stretch, opened a half-length near the eighth pole, and held off a late run from defending champion Wavell Avenue to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:22.37. She beat a field stacked with Grade 1 winners, among them Carina Mia, Haveyougoneaway, Tara’s Tango, By The Moon, and Paola Queen. It was her first Grade 1 win, and it clinched the Eclipse Award. The day carried a second HnR thread: Living The Life, a separate HnR mare pointed for the same race, had been scratched and retired with an ankle injury.
She stayed at the top level at five. She won the Santa Monica (G2) at Santa Anita in January 2017 by three and three-quarter lengths and received her 2016 Eclipse Award that same evening. Through the spring she kept hitting the Grade 1 board without adding another top-level win, running second in the Santa Margarita (G1) and the Humana Distaff (G1) and third in the Beholder Mile (G1). She made her final start defending her Breeders’ Cup title at Del Mar in November 2017 and finished eighth. She retired with 20 starts, a record of five wins, six seconds, and four thirds, and earnings of $1,266,394, in the money in three of every four starts.
Ian Kruljac consigned her to the 2017 Fasig-Tipton November sale, where Katsumi Yoshida of Japan’s Shadai Group bought her for $1,500,000 and exported her for broodmare duty. The weanling the market had priced at $50,000 five years earlier left the ring a $1.5 million mare. In Japan she has produced the winner Danon Early through 2024.
| Date | Track | Race | Dist / Surf | Fin | E# |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-07-16 | Del Mar | Maiden Special Weight | dirt | 2 | 95 |
| 2015-08-23 | Del Mar | Maiden Special Weight | dirt | 1 | 104 |
| 2015-09-26 | Santa Anita | Unzip Me S. (BT) | turf | 4 | 100 |
| 2015-10-31 | Del Mar | Allowance Optional Claiming | dirt | 1 | 101 |
| 2015-12-03 | Los Alamitos | Allowance Optional Claiming | dirt | 2 | 90 |
| 2015-12-26 | Santa Anita | La Brea S. (G1) | 7f dirt | 6 | 76 |
| 2016-01-23 | Santa Anita | Santa Monica S. (G2) | 7f dirt | 2 | 107 |
| 2016-02-11 | Santa Anita | Allowance Optional Claiming | dirt | 3 | 100 |
| 2016-03-20 | Santa Anita | Las Flores S. (G3) | 6f dirt | 4 | 88 |
| 2016-04-23 | Los Alamitos | Great Lady M S. (G2) | 6½f dirt | 1 | 114 |
| 2016-06-04 | Santa Anita | Vanity Mile S. (G1) | 8f dirt | 3 | 101 |
| 2016-07-16 | Del Mar | Yellow Ribbon H. (G2) | ~1m turf | 4 | 108 |
| 2016-09-04 | Del Mar | John C. Mabee S. (G2) | 9f turf | 2 | 107 |
| 2016-11-05 | Santa Anita | Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) | 7f dirt | 1 | 110 |
| 2017-01-21 | Santa Anita | Santa Monica S. (G2) | 7f dirt | 1 | 103 |
| 2017-03-18 | Santa Anita | Santa Margarita S. (G1) | 9f dirt | 2 | 105 |
| 2017-05-06 | Churchill Downs | Humana Distaff S. (G1) | 7f dirt | 2 | 106 |
| 2017-06-03 | Santa Anita | Beholder Mile S. (G1) | 8f dirt | 3 | 105 |
| 2017-07-08 | Los Alamitos | Great Lady M S. (G2) | 6½f dirt | 3 | 97 |
| 2017-11-04 | Del Mar | Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) | 7f dirt | 8 | 93 |
Finest City is a Pennsylvania-bred chestnut mare foaled March 28, 2012, by City Zip out of the Lemon Drop Kid mare Be Envied. Bred by HnR Nothhaft Horseracing LLC, she developed into the 2016 Eclipse Award champion female sprinter, winning five of 20 starts, placing ten additional times, and earning $1,266,394.
Her pedigree combines the speed-oriented Carson City branch of Mr. Prospector with a female family shaped by Lemon Drop Kid, Kingmambo, Seattle Slew, Northern Dancer, and Princequillo. Although best known as a top-class sprinter, Finest City also performed effectively at a mile, around two turns, and on turf, demonstrating more range than her championship title alone might suggest.
Her career reached its defining point in the 2016 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, but the wider record shows sustained Grade 1 form at four and five. She won graded stakes in consecutive seasons, placed in five additional Grade 1 races, and competed successfully from 6½ furlongs through nine furlongs.
Finest City recorded five wins, six seconds, and four thirds from 20 starts. Her signature victory came in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint over seven furlongs at Santa Anita. Earlier that season, she won the Grade 2 Great Lady M Stakes over 6½ furlongs in a track-record 1:14.48.
Her 2016 campaign also included seconds in the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes and Grade 2 John C. Mabee Stakes, together with a third in the Grade 1 Vanity Mile. The John C. Mabee placing came over nine furlongs on turf, providing direct evidence of surface and distance versatility beyond her principal dirt-sprint profile.
At five, Finest City won the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes and finished second in both the Grade 1 Santa Margarita Stakes at nine furlongs and Grade 1 Humana Distaff Stakes at seven furlongs. She also placed third in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile and Grade 2 Great Lady M Stakes. Her combination of speed, tactical placement, and determination allowed her to remain competitive from sprint trips into two-turn Grade 1 races.
Her championship season earned her the Eclipse Award as champion female sprinter, along with Pennsylvania-bred Horse of the Year, champion older female, and champion female sprinter honors. She was rated 115 in the sprint category on the 2016 Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings.
Finest City is by City Zip, a son of Carson City out of Baby Zip, by Relaunch. The direct male line runs through Carson City to Mr. Prospector and Raise a Native, placing Finest City within a prominent American speed branch.
City Zip’s pedigree also contains Blushing Groom through Blushing Promise and Nijinsky II through Summertime Promise. These influences broaden the sire side beyond pure sprint speed, helping explain the capacity of some runners from the line to remain effective around one turn and into intermediate distances.
Baby Zip contributes Relaunch and In Reality, together with Thirty Zip, by Tri Jet. This gives the sire side a strong American dirt foundation and adds the toughness and pace associated with the In Reality line.
Finest City’s own racing record represents a strong expression of that structure. She possessed enough early and tactical speed to win at 6½ and seven furlongs, yet she also handled a mile, nine furlongs, turf, and two-turn racing. Her success was therefore based not only on acceleration but on the ability to sustain a high cruising speed under pressure.
Finest City is out of Be Envied, a daughter of Belmont Stakes winner Lemon Drop Kid. Lemon Drop Kid is by Kingmambo, a son of Mr. Prospector out of champion Miesque, while his dam Charming Lassie is by Seattle Slew. This brings classic and mile influence into the female half of the pedigree behind City Zip’s speed.
Be Envied placed in two listed stakes and produced several notable runners. Finest City is a half-sister to multiple restricted stakes winner Grand Prix and multiple Indian stakes winner Queen Envied. Be Envied is also a half-sister to Grade 1 Futurity Stakes winner Burning Roma and to Nero’s Pleasure, the dam of stakes winner Finest Work.
The second dam, While Rome Burns, is by Overskate. She is a half-sister to Grade 3 Honey Bee Handicap winner Vivano and to English Humour, the dam of Japanese stakes winner Tokai Pulsar. This branch provides further international and black-type depth.
The third dam, Fiddlesticks, is by Northern Dancer out of Discipline, by Princequillo. She is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Squander and Grade 2 winner Duty Dance. Squander became the dam of multiple stakes winners and the second dam of multiple Grade 1 winner Goodbye Halo, while Duty Dance produced graded winner Party Manners.
The female family therefore combines sprint and mile ability with deeper classic and staying influences through Lemon Drop Kid, Seattle Slew, Northern Dancer, and Princequillo. That balance is consistent with Finest City’s capacity to perform well beyond her championship sprint distance.
Finest City is inbred 3 x 4 to Mr. Prospector. The sire-side occurrence comes through Carson City, while the dam-side occurrence comes through Kingmambo, the sire of Lemon Drop Kid.
The duplication brings Mr. Prospector through two distinct branches. Carson City emphasizes speed and dirt performance, while Kingmambo adds the influence of Miesque and a stronger international turf and mile component.
The wider pedigree also includes Blushing Groom, Relaunch, In Reality, Seattle Slew, Nureyev, Northern Dancer, Buckpasser, and Princequillo. This creates a structure in which concentrated speed is supported by several sources of stamina, balance, and surface versatility.
Finest City’s Roman Dosage Profile is 13-4-10-2-1, with 30 dosage points, a Dosage Index of 2.75, and a Center of Distribution of 0.87. The Brilliant category is prominent, but the profile also contains meaningful Classic and Solid representation. Those figures align with her proven speed and her ability to remain competitive at a mile and nine furlongs.
Finest City translated her speed-oriented pedigree into sustained elite performance. She won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, set a track record in the Grade 2 Great Lady M Stakes, and placed repeatedly in Grade 1 races from seven to nine furlongs.
Bred in Pennsylvania by HnR Nothhaft Horseracing LLC, she was sold for $85,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September and subsequently raced for Seltzer Thoroughbreds. At the conclusion of her racing career, she was sold for $1.5 million to Katsumi Yoshida at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton November Sale and exported to Japan.
For an HnR historical profile, Finest City represents a defining breeding achievement: an HnR-bred Pennsylvania-bred who became an Eclipse Award champion, a Breeders’ Cup winner, and a seven-figure international broodmare prospect.
