Inside the Owner’s Box with Centofanti, McCauley and Sharp

Thoroughbred owners Raffaele Centofanti, Nathan McCauley and Kathryn Sharp take readers inside the owner’s box in 2016. Centofanti, McCauley and Sharp will give readers insight into race-day habits, their favorite racetracks and their biggest accomplishments, plus interesting tidbits like what kind of music, fashion and vacations they prefer. 
In this edition learn about their movie tastes, what their non-racing hobbies are and what they can't live without.

At what age did you become a Thoroughbred owner?
CENTOFANTI: I became a Thoroughbred owner at the age of 18.
McCAULEY: I bought my first Thoroughbred, Birdie Birdie, through the claim box at 27 years old. She’s now the dam of three horses I have in training: Sylven Park, Free Rose and Angela Gail.
SHARP: Though we launched Ninety North in 2011, I didn’t become an official owner until 2013, when I was 25.
Who taught you how or did you have a mentor in becoming a successful Thoroughbred owner?
CENTOFANTI: My father, Alexander Centofanti
McCAULEY: There have been a number of people who have influenced me in the horse business. Eugenio Columbo helped us buy Golden Doc A, and I spent a lot of time with him at the yearling and 2-year-old sales early in my career. Hubert Guy is another friend that I’ve learned a lot from. Lesley Campion (Paramount Sales) has taught me a ton about buying and selling horses. My brothers, Tevis and Alex, and my mom, Angela, are all much better horsemen than me, and I learn from them every time I’m in the barn. More recently, Dan Rosenberg, Erin Crady, and the rest of the Thoroughbred Charities of America board have helped me fully grasp the responsibility we have as Thoroughbred owners to care our horses even after retirement.
SHARP: My husband is definitely my partner and mentor in the game. Although he came into the game with more experience, we’ve learned so much together along the way and we’ve made almost every decision regarding our horses together for almost a decade. That said, I don’t know anyone more researched in all areas of the sport than he is. If I have a question, he either has the answer or will find the answer. His passion for the game is infectious. Our library is brimming with racing literature from the scholarly to the degenerate, and he reads it all.
What app do you use the most?
CENTOFANTI: There are three apps I use equally:  Twitter, Horse Races Now, Instagram
McCAULEY: Lyft, Horse Races Now, Twitter, Evernote, Podcasts, Provisioning (to buy cars), and obviously my music apps!
MCCAULEY AT HIS DESK

SHARP: I’m a big Instagram junkie. I maintain a personal account as well as our Ninety North account (@90northracing) which usually means checking the app about 30 times a day. I enjoy engaging with fans and other racing accounts; there’s a great, supportive community on there.
Horses who tweet: yay or nay? CENTOFANTI: Yay. I actually remember reading a tweet Beholder sent during the Breeders’ Cup Classic this year mentioning American Pharoah.
McCAULEY: How else would we get into the mind of a Thoroughbred?
SHARP: Yay! Look, I know sometimes “horses” get themselves in trouble on Twitter, but when done correctly it can be a touching, and sometimes hilarious, way for fans to engage with the sport.
What hobbies do you have away from horse racing?
CENTOFANTI: Apart from horse racing my hobbies are: playing soccer, learning about cars, and hanging out with friends.
McCAULEY: I like to hike and camp. I also like to travel and have been to Africa close to 20 times. I used to play a lot of basketball, but I’m not as young as I once was.
SHARP: I’m a pretty avid gamer, and we’ve named several of our horses after video game characters. Through racing, I’ve also become fairly passionate about photography and have really worked on honing my skills over the past several years. We travel a lot both nationally and internationally, and I really enjoy seeing new places from behind the lens. I’m also a huge Disney-phile, we make several trips to Walt Disney World every year for different events, races, etc. ... Beyond that, I’m an avid consumer of science news and have contributed to a few physics and space-related publications.
Name five things you cannot live without: 
CENTOFANTI: My family would definitely be the most important thing I can’t live without. The other four things are: horse racing, my phone, cars and money.
CENTOFANTI'S HORSE AT GULFSTREAM

McCAULEY: My faith, my friends and family, a good glass of wine, my iPhone and music.
SHARP: Chapstick, dog, iPhone, colorful socks, Netflix.
Who or what makes you laugh?
CENTOFANTI: Kevin Hart and Eddie Murphy in Delirious. McCAULEY: My nephews. I have eight of them, and most of them are under 6 years old. They crack me up and keep life fun!
SHARP: I spend an inappropriate amount of time reading Buzzfeed articles online, which are always good for a cheap laugh. Other than that, I think I’ve generally just surrounded myself with good-natured, funny people that I love for how often and fully they make me laugh. Oh and Parks and Recreation. Leslie Knope is what I aspire to be on a semi-daily basis.
Last thing you do before you turn off the lights at night?
CENTOFANTI: Brush my teeth McCAULEY: Read a book (or the Bible) on the good nights; scroll through my iPhone the rest.
SHARP: A Simpsons episode every night before bed, no exceptions, unless I want nightmares.
What are your five all-time favorite movies?
CENTOFANTI: “Wolf of Wall Street,” “Goodfellas,” “The Departed,” “Star Wars,” “Pulp Fiction”
McCAULEY: “Gladiator,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Dazed and Confused,” “Warrior,” “Wolf of Wall Street”
SHARP: Movies that I would watch anytime they come on: “The Princess Bride,” “10 Things I Hate About You,” “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, any of the Harry Potter movies.
What was your lucky break?
CENTOFANTI: Buying Rose to Gold
McCAULEY: Lily Luna, a mare I claimed with partners, that we made a quick profit – that I parlayed into a couple successful pinhooks, and that’s how I got my start in the horse business.
SHARP: I’ve had a pretty fortunate life in general so far. While we’ve had a lot of success, we’re still waiting for a really big, lucky break in the horse business. Just waiting for that once in a lifetime runner!
SHARP AND HER HUSBAND WITH ORB

Pick two celebrities to be your parents. Who are they?
CENTOFANTI: Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Aniston
McCAULEY: Tony and Sage Robbins.
SHARP: Bill Murray (he’d probably be more like a weird uncle) and Maggie Smith, obviously.
What racetrack that you’ve never visited would you most like to see?
CENTOFANTI: One racetrack I would like to visit is Meydan Racecourse in Dubai.
SHARP: I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve never been to either Santa Anita [Park] or Del Mar, but I plan to attend the Breeders’ Cup in both places over the next two years!