CTBA Member PROFILE KEVIN AND KIMBERLY NISH

BY EMILY SHIELDS ey found the website for rolled it back to buy a piece Victory Rose oroughbreds of Shared Belief,” Kevin said. evin and Kimberly in Vacaville and met owner At the time, Shared Belief Nish would have Ellen Jackson. was a juvenile who had won CALIFORNIA K every reason to think “We bought small percent- his –rst two starts. the game of is ages in a couple of horses “ey advised us against BREEDING easy, but they aren’t fooled. Ellen had,” Kevin said, “but buying him,” Kevin recalled. Just because they found we wanted to do more.” at “We would have had to pay FINDS JUST their way to the Breeders’ was August 2011. too much. But it was one of THE RIGHT Cup winner’s circle a mere ey found bloodstock the best decisions we ever 15 months after getting into agents Alex Solis II and made.” NISHES the game doesn’t mean they Jason Litt, who helped them Shared Belief won 10 of aren’t aware of the struggles buy some broodmares that 12 races, earned $2,932,200, involved with breeding top November. In December, and is widely considered one oroughbreds. ey’re Litt had a client who wanted of the top horses of the last also clear that their journey to sell his interest in six decade. He won –ve grade sounds like a fairytale. racehorses. One of them was 1 races and was thriving at “We started quick and stakes winner and multiple the time of his shocking and went straight up to the top of grade 2-placed Mizdirection, unexpected death from colic the mountain, basically,” Kim who a year later won the –rst in 2015. said. at’s where they are of two Breeders’ Cup Turf Although they have working to stay. Sprints (G1T). dabbled in buying yearlings, e couple met working “It seemed like it was easy, most of what the Nishes at Kimber Insurance in 1985 which is a dangerous way to race now are all homebreds and were married two years start,” Kevin said. foaled in California. In just later. Kevin recalls being a Mizdirection earned their second year of buying racing fan and bettor while $1,719,621 and was sold broodmares, the couple ob- in college during the 1970s, for $2.7 million at the 2013 tained multiple stakes-placed but realized relatively recently Fasig-Tipton November sale. Puskita for $28,000. She was that “if I wanted to own a “With the money from in foal to Philanthropist at racehorse, I could.” the sale of Mizdirection, we the time. e resulting foal, California-bred Never Say Try, broke his maiden on his 1 debut at Del Mar by 11 ⁄4 lengths. Puskita’s third foal is Apache Princess, a daughter of Unusual Heat. Apache Princess broke her maiden in her fourth start at Santa Ani- ta last Dec. 30, then reeled o¦ victories in an allowance race and the $100,000 Sweet Life Stakes (G3). Most recently, Apache Princess –n- ished third in the $101,500 Campanile Stakes at . © BENOIT PHOTOS Puskita’s juvenile, a Cal- Kimberly and Kevin Nish are finding themselves in quite a few winner’s bred Fast Anna –lly named circles with their Cal-breds Hazare, is gearing up to head

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MemberProfile_Jul19.indd 36 6/25/19 1:08 PM BLACK YELLOWMAGENTACYAN CTBA7-36.pgs 06.25.2019 13:12 California Thoroughbred to the track early this summer. Maddie’s Odyssey, by Kitten’s Joy, was a $14,500 purchase from the same sale as Puskita. Her second foal is Gre- cian Fire, another Unusual Heat. conditions the chestnut gelding, who was already a stakes win- ner before he got his ‚rst graded win in the $100,900 All American Stakes (G3) at Golden Gate May 27. He now has ‚ve wins in 23 starts. Outside of Shared Belief’s defeat- ing $14.7 million-earning Cal-bred in a highly publi- cized edition of the 2015 San Antonio Stakes (G2), Kim considers the All American one of her greatest moments as an owner. “I did not expect him to win like that, not even close,” she said. “When we were ‚rst at the Breeders’ Cup, someone told us not to let them Cal-homebred Apache Princess wins grade 3 Sweet Life Stakes in February at Santa Anita become pets. —is is a business. Well, I tossed that out the window. I give at the quarter pole. year later came the cleverly named them kisses, I give them snuggles, we “I remember that one pretty clearly,” Stays in Vegas (City Zip–Double Jack- pet them. Grecian Fire is a big softie, Kevin said. “We were watching on a pot, by Broken Vow), who ultimately but he rounded that corner and he was cell phone on a cruise ship.” ‚nished in the top three spots in 10 of o˜.” Outside of their California breed- 13 starts, debuted with a stakes win, —e day before the All and started solely in stakes American, Maddie’s Odyssey’s while earning $419,279. sophomore ‚lly Sneaking We just try to get into a place where Unfortunately, Indian Out became grade 2-placed luck can nd us.” Evening died, and the couple by running second in the now has an interest in Legacy $200,000 Summertime Oaks. — Kevin Nish Ranch stallion Straight Fire, Earlier this year that daughter by Dominus. Straight Fire of the Nishes’ stallion Indian broke his maiden at Del Mar 1 Evening won the $200,351 in 2016 by 10 ⁄2 lengths. He 1 Evening Jewel Stakes by 2 ⁄2 lengths ing program, Kevin and Kim’s KMN went on to be twice grade 1-placed despite an awkward start. Racing campaigned synthetic specialist before retirement. Maddie’s Odyssey has been sent to Minks Aprise, a multiple graded stakes- “He’s the one we’re really hoping Kentucky and was bred to Tapit for placed stakes winner at Golden Gate, for,” Kim said. 2020. She has a juvenile ‚lly by Fast Woodbine, and Presque Isle Downs. With three di˜erent stakes winners Anna named Been Studying Her and —e Kentucky-bred earned $300,215 already in 2019 and a host of juveniles a yearling full sister to Sneaking Out and brought an additional $290,000 preparing for the summer meet at Del named Starlight Stroll. at the Keeneland January auction of Mar, the Nishes look to continue their Kevin’s most memorable moment as 2018. hot streak. a Cal-bred owner came with another Minks Aprise was part of a group of “—e bloodstock guys say, ‘Some- daughter of Indian Evening, Kimber- ‚ve yearlings Solis and Litt purchased times we like you to be in horses lea K. —e homebred ‚lly broke her for the Nishes that also included stakes because you seem to be lucky,’ ” Kevin 1 maiden at Golden Gate in 2017 by 5 ⁄4 winner Lindisfarne and graded stakes- said. “We just try to get into a place lengths, but was ahead by eight lengths placed stakes winner Lutine Belle. A where luck can ‚nd us.”

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MemberProfile_Jul19.indd 37 6/25/19 12:37 PM BLACK YELLOWMAGENTACYAN CTBA7-37.pgs 06.25.2019 13:01 California Thoroughbred