Trackside - news from across North America and beyond | Trainer Magazine | North American Article Index

Feb 15

Feb 15 Trackside - news from across North America and beyond

TRACKSIDE A look at stories in the news from tracks across America and beyond. BREEDING MATTERS Finest City is newest PA-bred Breeders’ Cup winner WORDS: NIKKI SHERMAN Finest City holds off Wavell Avenue in 2016 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint Other than the Kentucky Derby, winning a Breeders’ Cup World thoroughbred Championship race is the dream of every breeder in the United States. It often takes decades – if it even happens at all – to reach that pinnacle, but for henry “hank” Nothhaft, it took just a few years. “I have not been involved in horse racing very long,” Nothhaft admits. “I became directly involved in 2008 with the idea to create a business I could run and enjoy while moving into retirement from my business career in the technology world.” Nothhaft, who breeds and races under the name hnr Nothhaft horseracing, LLC, wanted to go through a hands-on learning experience in the thoroughbred industry and was able to purchase the promising young stallion Silver train in 2011. he and agent Carl Mcentee attended the Keeneland November Mixed Sale to look for mares that would cross well with the son of Old trieste. they found a Lemon Drop Kid mare named Be envied, who was in foal to popular sprint stallion City Zip. Nothhaft purchased Be envied for $37,000 and shipped her to Northview PA to foal. that foal was a lovely chestnut filly who he named City envy. the filly was entered in the 2012 Keeneland November Mixed Sale as a weanling after colleagues convinced him that she should easily bring $150,000. however, early interest in City envy, who Nothhaft had named before the decision to sell came about, fizzled out when onsite veterinary inspections discovered an existing OCD on X-rays. She just barely met her reserve of $50,000, selling for that price to Cobra Farm, who in turn pinhooked her at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2013. Seltzer thoroughbreds purchased the filly for $85,000 and the father-son team of Wayne and tyler Seltzer decided to rename her Finest City after their hometown of San Diego. “She was a knockout from day one,” remembers Nothhaft. “Unfortunately, that’s one of the reasons I decided to sell her, as I thought we were going to be able to get six figures for her and I was focused on building a broodmare band for Silver train to race in Pennsylvania. She was one of the first two or three PA-Breds I bred and was the first horse I bred who sold commercially at auction.” the Seltzers’ trainer Ian Kruljac had great hopes for their new filly from the beginning, as Finest City made her career debut at the prestigious Del Mar summer meet in July of 2015. the filly finished second behind eventual graded stakes winner Gloryzapper. her next start would be a different story; Finest City ran off to an impressive 8½-length score in a $70,000 maiden special weight at Del Mar. After an unsuccessful stakes debut on turf in her next start, Finest City again returned to the winner’s circle with an easy 3 ¼-length score in a $53,000 allowance at Del Mar. Finest City competed against some of the top female sprinters on the West Coast throughout the winter of 2015-16, and by April she finally broke through, becoming a stakes winner when she captured the $200,000 Great Lady M Stakes (G2) at Los Alamitos. that race earned her a chance to compete in the Breeders’ Cup where she nearly faced off against Nothhaft’s own Grade 1 winner Living the Life (Ire). “We originally had fairly elaborate plans to attend the Breeders’ Cup but when (Living the Life) came up lame before the race, I canceled our reservations. I came to regret this decision,” Nothhaft admits. “So, my wife and I were glued to our tv watching the race. I must be honest, I thought (Finest City) could win, but was really more confident in a top-three finish. When she did win, we were cheering and literally jumping for joy. Within seconds, my cell phone exploded with texts and calls beyond anything we had ever experienced.” On November 5, 2016, Finest City joined an elite group of just three other PA-Breds who have captured a Breeders’ Cup race when she crossed the wire first in the $1,000,000 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), holding off defending champion Wavell Avenue by three-quarters of a length under heavy urging from hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith. those other Breeders’ Cup-winning PA-Breds are some of the most talented athletes to grace the Breeders’ Cup: Alphabet Soup won the 1996 Classic in a thrilling stretch battle with Louis Quatorze and Cigar; Go for Wand captured the 1989 Juvenile Fillies as part of a campaign that culminated in her being crowned that year’s eclipse Award Champion two-Year-Old Filly; and tikkanen, who set a track record at Churchill Downs in the 1994 Breeders’ Cup turf. Finest City enjoyed a short break following the biggest race of her life but has since returned to Ian Kruljac’s Santa Anita barn. She is steadily working towards a 2017 campaign that would ideally give her the opportunity to defend her Breeders’ Cup title, this time in her owners’ hometown of San Diego at her favorite track, Del Mar. She is also now a finalist for 2016 Champion Female Sprinter, along with haveyougoneaway and Paulassilverlining – both of whom finished behind Finest City in the Breeders’ Cup. the winner will be crowned on January 21, 2017 at the annual eclipse Awards gala in Florida. Win or lose, nothing will compare to the thrill of winning a Breeders’ Cup race. tyler Seltzer said it best when the NBC Sports camera crew caught up with him following the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. the excitement was overwhelming, and all he could think to say was an emphatic, “She’s pretty great!” QIPCO British Champions Day 2017 set for October 21st an impressive 8½-length score in a $70,000 maiden special weight at Del Mar. After an unsuccessful stakes debut on turf in her next start, Finest City again returned to the winner’s circle with an easy 3 ¼-length score in a $53,000 allowance at Del Mar. Finest City competed against some of the top female sprinters on the West Coast throughout the winter of 2015-16, and by April she finally broke through, becoming a stakes winner when she captured the $200,000 Great Lady M Stakes (G2) at Los Alamitos. that race earned her a chance to compete in the Breeders’ Cup where she nearly faced off against Nothhaft’s own Grade 1 winner Living the Life (Ire). “We originally had fairly elaborate plans to attend the Breeders’ Cup but when (Living the Life) came up lame before the race, I canceled our reservations. I came to regret this decision,” Nothhaft admits. “So, my wife and I were glued to our tv watching the race. I must be honest, I thought (Finest City) could win, but was really more confident in a top-three finish. When she did win, we were cheering and literally jumping for joy. Within seconds, my cell phone exploded with texts and calls beyond anything we had ever experienced.” On November 5, 2016, Finest City joined an elite group of just three other PA-Breds who have captured a Breeders’ Cup race when she crossed the wire first in the $1,000,000 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), holding off defending champion Wavell Avenue by three-quarters of a length under heavy urging from hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith. those other Breeders’ Cup-winning PA-Breds are some of the most talented athletes to grace the Breeders’ Cup: Alphabet Soup won the 1996 Classic in a thrilling stretch battle with Louis Quatorze and Cigar; Go for Wand captured the 1989 Juvenile Fillies as part of a campaign that culminated in her being crowned that year’s eclipse Award Champion two-Year-Old Filly; and tikkanen, who set a track record at Churchill Downs in the 1994 Breeders’ Cup turf. Finest City enjoyed a short break following the biggest race of her life but has since returned to Ian Kruljac’s Santa Anita barn. She is steadily working towards a 2017 campaign that would ideally give her the opportunity to defend her Breeders’ Cup title, this time in her owners’ hometown of San Diego at her favorite track, Del Mar. She is also now a finalist for 2016 Champion Female Sprinter, along with haveyougoneaway and Paulassilverlining – both of whom finished behind Finest City in the Breeders’ Cup. the winner will be crowned on January 21, 2017 at the annual eclipse Awards gala in Florida. Win or lose, nothing will compare to the thrill of winning a Breeders’ Cup race. tyler Seltzer said it best when the NBC Sports camera crew caught up with him following the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. the excitement was overwhelming, and all he could think to say was an emphatic, “She’s pretty great!” QIPCO British Champions Day is the breathtaking finale to the British Flat racing season. Ascot racecourse is set alight on the nation’s richest ever raceday, as champions are crowned Kings and Queens of the turf. Since its inauguration in 2011, QIPCO British Champions Day has firmly established itself as one of the world’s highest quality fixtures in the racing calendar. Last year it was the only day in europe to feature multiple races from the top ten highest-rated races in the world. As a result, the event attracts not only one of the biggest crowds seen at any racecourse in Britain, but also the country’s most esteemed guests, such as her Majesty the Queen, who has attended every year thus far. Four Group 1 contests and a Group 2, all run over different distances, ensure that the quality of the racing and the accompanying atmosphere are nothing short of exceptional. this year’s renewal of QIPCO British Champions Day will offer a record-breaking purse of £4.3million, guaranteeing another raceday fit for the world stage. the feature race of the day, the £1.3million G1 Champion Stakes, is the highest rated race in Britain and consistently attracts top-class thoroughbreds, with victory in 2016 going to the 129-rated ALMANZOr. the roll of honour for this race features some of the greats, including FrANKeL and his brother, NOBLe MISSION. the Queen elizabeth II Stakes is europe’s richest mile race, and victory last year added the final flourish to MINDING’S spectacular season. the QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes over six furlongs and the QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes over a mile and a half complete the Group 1s on the day. For more information about QIPCO British Champions Day, please visit britishchampionsday.com or contact joldring@britishchampionsseries.com. 92 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 43 TRACKSIDE t he breeding season in the thoroughbred industry always presents a clean slate. It is a season of hope. “Breed the best to the best, and hope for the best” is a familiar refrain, but we all know that it takes a lot more work. It is important to research pedigrees, evaluate confirmation, race records, and consult with trusted advisors. Make a plan, because producing a thoroughbred race horse takes time and care – and let’s admit some luck. It is important to consider all of the ways to get a return on your investment, whether you plan to sell at auction or race your home-breds. Breeding and racing opportunities have expanded with the times and the competition. there are various incentive programs to encourage business in a particular state. Some regional programs are cooperative, and most require competing in their state to win additional incentive monies. In Maryland we have the Maryland Bred race Fund and Maryland Million ltd. to encourage breeding, foaling and racing. Incentive Programs in Maryland for 2017 MARYLAND BRED RACE FUND the Maryland Bred race Fund was established 1962 as the first incentive fund in the nation. the program was designed to encourage and promote breeding better horses. the important goal, is to reward those people who participate in the horse business in Maryland by foaling, raising and racing their bloodstock in Maryland. the current program includes a 30% breeder bonus to the top three finishers in all races in Maryland (stakes purses capped at $100,000); a 30% owner bonus in all overnight races, paid by the purse account, and a 10% stallion bonus. See the following link for more information: http://marylandthoroughbred.com/cms/pdf/MDBredFundGuide.pdf MARYLAND MILLION LTD. the Maryland Million is the cooperative stallion program that rewards Maryland-sired horses. this program was founded in 1985 by ABC sportscaster and Maryland resident Jim McKay after his visit to the inaugural Breeders’ Cup races in 1984. the Maryland Million is a sire-stakes program designed to reward people who breed to Maryland stallions. the annual event, now named Jim McKay Maryland Million Day, is run in the fall of the year at Laurel Park with purses and awards of a million dollars. In addition to the race day there is $2500 bonus for Maryland-sired Maiden Special Weight winners in Maryland. For more information go to: https://marylandmillion.com/

First published in North American Trainer issue 43 - February to April '17

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