Columbus, OH – Nob Hill High, who earned more than $1 million during his racing career before turning to stallion duty in Ohio in 2015, passed away recently at Hagemeyer Farms, which announced the news Wednesday on its Facebook page. He was 18.
A son of McArdle-Anniecrombie bred by embryo transfer, Nob Hill High was owned by his breeders, Robert Mondillo and Donald Robinson. For six consecutive years, 2009 through 2014, Nob Hill High earned more than $100,000 per season. He won multiple times on the Grand Circuit and finished third in the 2009 Hoosier Cup, where he missed by a half-length.
For his career, Nob Hill High hit the board in 121 of 236 races, winning 38 and earning $1.11 million.
“He’s a terrific racehorse,” said Bruce Saunders, who trained Nob Hill High for much of his career after the horse spent the early part of his career with Bill Webb, in a 2013 interview. “He’s a blue-collar worker; he comes with his lunch pail every day and does what’s asked of him. He’s a great horse for the owners and a great horse for me to have in the barn. He’s a professional and tries hard all the time. He’s an overachiever. He’s the kind of horse every horseman admires.
“Certain horses just have that terrific demeanor and personality and enjoy people. He’s one of them. He’s just a special horse in many ways.”
As a sire, Nob Hill High’s top performers included High On Paydaze, who was Ohio’s 2-year-old pacing colt of the year in 2018; Smothastenesewisky, who was Ohio’s 3-year-old pacing filly of the year in 2021; and stakes-winners Snobbytown, Stanford Court, and Giggles In Dreams. His final crop, now racing as 3-year-olds, includes Naked On A Hill, a filly who won last season’s Buckeye Stallion Series championship.
“It has been our great honor to share in the success of Nob Hill High as a remarkable Ohio stallion,” Hagemeyer Farms posted on Facebook. “We miss his outgoing personality and gentle soul.”