Orignally Printed in November 2014 edition of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Magazine
Around the Ovals
Presque Isle Downs
Masterful Performance
California-based Living The Life
captures Grade 2 for Nothhaft, Mandella
by DAN TORDJMAN
Living The Life (Ire) was going to need a little luck as she turned for home
in the Grade 2 Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes Sept. 8. That’s at least how
her trainer Gary Mandella felt while watching the highlight of the meeting.
“I could tell there was no pace, especially for a sprint race,” Mandella said.
“Something good was going to have to go her way for her to win.”
After a quarter-mile in :23.46 and a half in :46.44, Living The Life found herself
a few lengths off the pace with a wall of horses in front of her. The daughter of
Footstepsinthesand had her owner Hank Nothhaft and her trainer sweating.
“I had no way of knowing whether she was going to be able to get through
or finish beaten a length for everything,”Mandella said. “It all kind of looked miserable until that split second when there was
a seam between two horses and she just jumped right in there, as brave as any horse
as I’ve ever been around.”
The brave move, guided by Hall of Famer Mike Smith, took Living The Life
from sixth to first in a matter of seconds.Now on the lead, the 4-year-old filly just
had to hold on and she did just that. Disco Barbie, the second choice behind Living
The Life, was caught behind horses herself and rallied to finish second, a half-length
behind. Ageless was a length back in third
in the field of 10. Living The Life completed 6 1⁄2 furlongsin 1:15.26, earning the $240,000 winner’s
share of the $400,400 purse. It was only Living The Life’s second U.S. start after
being purchased by Nothhaft as part of an international search for broodmare prospects. Profiled in the June edition of, California resident
Nothhaft has invested in the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred industry with major interests in the late stallion Silver Train, plus El
Padrino, Smarty Jones and Jump Start. “This filly was purchased in England with the hopes that we could make her a little bit better,” Mandella said. “[Nothhaft’s]trainer over there, Phil McEntee, did a great job of figuring her out, putting a different kind of blinker on her and getting
her a little straightforward.”
Living The Life responded by winning the All-Weather Fillies’ and Mares’
Championship in April at Lingfield before shipping to California, where she
won her U.S. debut in August at Del Mar. She returned to California after the
Masters with eyes on a possible start at the Breeders’ Cup Breeders’ Cup Filly and
Mare Sprint-G1, a race won the past threeyears by Masters winners Groupie Doll
and Musical Romance
