Bell's the One

Neil Pessin, who abruptly left the training business in mid-May, has landed a new position as an assistant to trainer Michelle Nihei on the Kentucky circuit, the conditioner confirmed Thursday. The conditioner of Grade I winner Bell's the One (Majesticperfection), Pessin saddled his final runner at Keeneland at the end of April and took some time to sell off some of his tack and other gear. But Pessin admits that sitting idly by isn't something he does especially well, and he ultimately accepted an offer from Nihei to oversee a...

Neil Pessin, who trained the late Bob Lothenbach's Bell's the One (Majesticperfection) to a victory in the GI Derby City Distaff in its COVID-delayed renewal in 2020, is leaving the training ranks effective immediately. The affable conditioner's final starter was Finn McSorley (English Channel), who finished eighth in a Keeneland maiden special weight on the grass Apr. 25. "I'd like to keep training, but financially it's very tough and I was down to two maiden turf horses, one maiden claimer, and it's just not financially feasible to keep going," Pessin...

Fasig-Tipton has released the first group of supplemental entries for its Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale--adding 27 head to the auction--which will take place on Monday, Feb. 3, beginning at 10 a.m. ET in Lexington, Kentucky, the company said via a press release on Wednesday. These latest entries, catalogued as hip 349-375, include: Greavette (Astern {Aus}) (Hip 356): 4-year-old MSW is consigned as a racing/broodmare prospect by Grovendale Sales, agent. R Harper Rose (Khozan) (Hip 364): Four-year-old who won the GIII Forward Gal Stakes last year. Consigned as a racing/broodmare prospect...

LEXINGTON, KY - The Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale, which had never produced a seven-figure offering in its history, had three million-dollar mares go through the ring in an action-packed final hour of its two-day run in Lexington Tuesday. The final horse through the ring, Zetta Z (Bernardini), supplemented to the auction just Sunday, provided an exclamation point of the auction when selling for $2 million to Coolmore Stud. As expected, the dispersal of the bloodstock of the late Robert Lothenbach dominated the results sheet, accounting for the $1.3 million Bell's...

Grade I winning Bell's the One (Majesticperfection) brought a final bid of $1.3 million from bloodstock agent Catherine Hudson, bidding on behalf of an undisclosed client, Tuesday at Fasig-Tipton. Part of the dispersal of the bloodstock of the late Robert Lothenbach, the 8-year-old mare was consigned by Vinery Sales. She will remain in the U.S., according to Hudson, who added mating plans are still to be decided.

For nearly 20 years, trainer Neil Pessin didn't have to worry about filling up his barn. His principal owner, Bob Lothenbach, kept sending horses his way. That included a Grade I winner in Bell's the One (Majesticperfection) and several useful allowance horses. Pessin was training a 22-horse stable and 19 of them were owned by Lothenbach. "Bob was an excellent owner," Pessin said. "He knew our field of expertise was training horses and his was the paper business. Anytime I asked for anything that involved the welfare of the horse...

This year's renewal of the Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale will have extra appeal to buyers with the addition of the dispersal of the late Robert Lothenbach's breeding stock. The dispersal's offerings, most of whom were supplemented to the auction's catalogue, will be handled by Vinery Sales and Taylor Made Sales Agency. Both consignors emphasized what a unique opportunity the dispersal represented. "Mr. Lothenbach was a great ambassador for racing and he strictly bred to race," Vinery's Derek MacKenzie said. "He also bought a lot of nice yearlings over the years...

The Lothenbach Stables of the late Robert Lothenbach will completely disperse its breeding stock, yearlings, and horses of racing age with Fasig-Tipton over the next three weeks. All breeding stock and yearlings will be sold at Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale, to be held Feb. 5 and 6 in Lexington. The 65 entries of breeding stock and yearlings at the Winter sale will be spread among two consignors: Vinery Sales and Taylor Made Sales Agency. The majority of these entries will be offered in the sale's supplement, but the main...

Robert John Lothenbach, a Thoroughbred owner and breeder who was a passionate booster of horse racing in his home state of Minnesota and also enjoyed success in the sport on the national level, has died unexpectedly. He was 64. The Minnesota chapter of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association (MHBPA) announced his passing late on Monday. The cause of Lothenbach's death has yet to be publicly disclosed, and funeral arrangements are pending. Shortly after Canterbury Park first opened in 1985, Lothenbach and three friends each put up $1,000 to claim...

Bell's the One (Majesticperfection), arguably the best horse to carry the silks of the late Bob Lothenbach and who was among the first book of mares bred to Horse of the Year Flightline (Tapit), lost her foal at the seven-month stage in September, her trainer Neil Pessin confirmed Wednesday. "Bob loved her and he was really looking forward to having that foal," Pessin said. Pessin purchased the daughter of Street Mate (Street Cry {Ire}), bred by Bret Jones, on behalf of Lothenbach for $155,000 as a yearling at the 2017...

Veteran jockey Corey Lanerie posted the 5,000th victory of his riding career Wednesday at Keeneland, coming with a patented move up the fence to guide the Chris Hartman-trained I Feel The Need (Keen Ice) in race three. He is the 38th jockey in history and is the 12th winningest among active riders behind the ageless Perry Ouzts. "It's beautiful," he said. "I have been waiting a long time and it seems like I got right on it and I could never get over the hump, but today we got over...

The most exciting and highest-priced horse to go to stud in 2023, at a fee of $200,000, Flightline has amassed a book of mares as deep as any in recent memory for a first-season sire. We sat down with Lane's End Bloodstock's David Ingordo to hear about just 10 of those famous mares--a tough number to narrow down in a book so full of riches. "We've got a ton of great support for the horse, from Eclipse Award-winning owner-breeders to successful commercial breeders," said Ingordo. "We went out and bought...