Bred by Samuel Wrather he was a half-brother to Miss Lydia (gr f 1838 Belshazzar), the dam of the good producer Maid of Masham (gr f 1845 Don John), winner of the Great Yorkshire Stakes and taproot mare of Family 9-e. He was also a half-brother to the Carlisle Gold Cup winner Hackfall (gr c 1835 Actaeon) and the Manchester Cup winner Colchicum (gr c 1836 Physician).

Nutwith stood 15 hands 2 1/4 inches and was said to look smaller under tack. His overall conformation was thought quite good, his good shoulders sloping into a short strong back, well -ribbed up, with powerful quarters and good sound feet, although his hocks were said to be on the smallish side and curby in appearance.

He ran for three years winning three of his eight starts, finishing second three times, third once, and going unplaced just once. He won two of three starts as a two year old, at Ripon and Richmond, and finished second in the Tyro Stakes at Newcastle. At three he won the St Leger Stakes at Doncaster where he denied Cotherstone (b c 1840 Touchstone) a triple crown by merely a short head in what was described as "one of the finest contests ever witnessed on the Town Moor". To finish the season he ran second for the Richmond Cup, won by the durable "rare old Alice" Alice Hawthorn (b f 1838 Muley Moloch). As a four year old he was unplaced in his only start, for the Cup at Chester.

In the stud he left two useful stallion sons, Filbert (br c 1850) and Knight of Kars (b c 1855) and several of his daughters achieved some success. Beechnut (b f 1854) won the Criterion Stakes and the Nassau Stakes, was the grandam of the Deutsches Derby winner Double Zero (b c 1873 Virgilius) and the ancestress of Solario (b c 1922 Gainsborough). Heroine of Lucknow (b f 1856) was the ancestress of some good winners in Australia and France, whilst Noisette was the grandam of the Irish Derby and Manchester Cup winner Umpire (b c 1873 Tom King) and Nutmeg (ch f 1847) won the Nassau Stakes.