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 catalogue also contains entries that had been previously catalogued prior to the estate's decision to completely disperse.
Included among the breeding stock offerings are Grade I winner Bell's the One (Majesticperfection) (hip 476) and graded stakes winner She Can't Sing (Bernardini) (hip 485). Mares in foal to Authentic, Blame, Bolt d'Oro, Candy Ride (Arg), Charlatan, Into Mischief, Jackie's Warrior, Maclean's Music, Omaha Beach, Uncle Mo, and Yaupon are also on offer.
“Mr. Lothenbach's breeding program was old-time–pedigrees he had developed as part of an operation that was 100% breed to race,” commented Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “His families have never been offered on the public market and his yearlings have been raised with one goal–to be racehorses.”
Prior to the Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale, the complete dispersal of Lothenbach Stable's horses of racing age will be conducted on Fasig-Tipton Digital, the company's online platform. The approximately 90 Horses of Racing Age, which consist of 3-years-old or older, will be consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.
Bidding for the Lothenbach Dispersal of Horses of Racing Age on Fasig-Tipton Digital will open Monday, Jan. 29 and will close on Friday, Feb. 2. The catalogue will be made available for previewing prior to the start of the digital sale.
A prominent Minnesota owner and breeder for more than 30 years, Lothenbach passed away in November of 2023. Since 2000 alone, Lothenbach color bearers have won more than 800 races and earned more than $30 million on the racetrack, according to Equibase. His stable ranked in the top 10 nationally in 2020 and 2022.
“Mr. Lothenbach's passing is an immense loss to Thoroughbred racing, as he loved and participated in all aspects of our sport as an owner and breeder, while also highly active at auctions,” said Browning. “We are honored that his family has chosen Fasig-Tipton for the dispersal of the majority of his Thoroughbred holdings.”
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 five mares to support him, spending $4.5 million to do so. The book is a phenomenal first-season book, and it's hard to name all the good mares going to him. I have chosen just a few here, and we have just scratched the surface. It's such a deep, exciting group, both young mares off the track and proven producers like Queen Caroline, the dam of 2-year-old champion Forte (Violence).”
Ingordo said that a lot of thought went into what the champion's book size would be, and that many factors had to be balanced before a decision was reached by the Lane's End team, which included Bill Farish, Ingordo, Jill McCully, Chris Knehr and Bill's son, Will Farish III.
“We've committed to keeping him right at 150 mares,” said Ingordo. “We felt at the price for which we're standing him, that's a fair number. We need him to have enough mares that he has a chance, but we don't want people breeding to the horse at a very high stud fee to think they don't have exclusivity. The Lane's End policy and that of everyone in the ownership group has never favored big books, and that's how we agreed upon that number.”
With that in mind, Ingordo kicks off Flightline's book with two mares from one of the world's best operations: Juddmonte.
OBLIGATORY (5, Curlin-Uno Duo, by Macho Uno). Obligatory is a maiden mare by Curlin from one of their very, very deep families that they have curated for so long. She's the winner of the GI Derby City Distaff S., and a multiple graded stakes winner who placed in filly classics like the [GI] Acorn S. and the [GI] Cotillion S., amongst other races. She is the typical great Juddmonte race filly and this offspring will obviously go into their racing stable. We're very excited to have a mare like this.
PAULASSILVERLINING (11, Ghostzapper-Seeking the Silver, by Grindstone). Paulassilverlining is the other mare Juddmonte is sending us. She is the winner of the GI Humana Distaff S. at Churchill and the GI Madison S. at Keeneland. She placed in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. Paulassilverlining has already produced Artorius (Arrogate) as her first foal, who was a nice late-developing 3-year-old that looks like he could be a force either sprinting or in the handicap ranks next year. She is a Juddmonte mare they purchased for Arrogate in the past, and to get her in Flightline's book is nice.
ROYAL FLAG (7, Candy Ride {Arg}-Sea Gull, by Mineshaft). From Lane's End, we're breeding one of our best maiden mares off the track, Royal Flag. She is a third-generation mare from Mr. Farish's breeding program. She won the GII Beldame S. and the GIII Shuvee S. and was placed in the GI Personal Ensign S. Royal Flag is a great physical and we love the cross with Flightline over Candy Ride mares or Gun Runner mares, because Candy Ride over Tapit seems to be working well, so we're doing that cross here. She's a beautiful maiden mare owned by Mr. Farish who is a half-sister to the very promising Lane's End first-crop 2-year-old sire of 2023, Catalina Cruiser.
QUEEN CAROLINE (10, Blame-Queens Plaza, by Forestry). Befitting Flightline–the co-highest rated horse in history along with Frankel, and now Horse of the Year–we are breeding him to the mare who produced the three-time Grade I winner and champion Forte (Violence). Forte is an exceptional prospect for the classics as well as down the road as a stallion, and so that Queen Caroline is going to Flightline is exciting. Her pedigree goes back to horses that Mr. Farish has had his hands on, like Jeano, and champions Folklore and Essential Quality hail from this family. That Queen Caroline is now coming to the most important stallion we've ever retired brings this pedigree back into association with the farm. There are three champions under the first four dams and we're very excited about having her in the book.
DELIGHTFUL QUALITY (14, Elusive Quality-Contrive, by Storm Cat). Speaking of the family of Queen Caroline, Flightline will be bred to Delightful Quality, a daughter of Elusive Quality and the dam of Essential Quality, by Tapit. Essential Quality, of course, was a champion 2-year-old and 3-year-old, a classic winner of the GI Belmont S., the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, the GI Runhappy Travers S., among many other races. This is another mare from the same family as Forte and not a one-hit wonder; she's also the dam of dual stakes winner Famed (Uncle Mo), who looks to be ready to have a good 2023 as well.
SHAMROCK ROSE (8, First Dude-Slew's Quality, by Elusive Quality). We are blessed that the Japanese have taken a strong interest in Flightline and they have committed Shamrock Rose, who was purchased by KI Farm for $3 million at the Keeneland November sale. She was the Champion Female Sprinter of 2018 after winning the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, along with multiple other stakes. We purchased a War Front yearling out of the mare and are quite happy with how he is training at this stage.
JUJU'S MAP (4, Liam's Map-Nagambi, by Flatter).This filly has a big pedigree. She was the winner of the GI Darley Alcibiades S. at two, and was second in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. In addition to having a lot of 2-year-old form, she is a beautiful physical, an Albaugh family runner and another exciting young mare off the track that we think really fits Flightline.
BELL'S THE ONE (7, Majesticperfection-Street Mate, by Street Cry). Multiple graded stakes winner. She's the Grade I winner of the Derby City Distaff, and placed in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint. She was a tough and durable racemare, campaigned from two to six, with 13 wins. She's also a very pretty filly with a good family with which we have a lot of experience. This is a Ned Evans family, and a mare who I just loved on the track and worked hard to get into his book. I raced her sire Majesticperfection under Padua Stables with Satish Sanan, and thought he was a very underrated stallion, and this is arguably his best offspring to date. I thought she was one of the best fillies out there. She was one of the top mares I wanted to get into his book, and I really like the cross. Sid Fernando at Werk Thoroughbred Consultants was very helpful. We did some research work with him on pedigrees that would work well at the sale, including Bell's The One, and he's been a big help in crafting Flightline's book.
POLLY FREEZE (10, Super Saver-Elusive Gold, by Strike the Gold). Polly Freeze is a proven mare from Hertrich and Fielding, the breeders of Eclipse Award winners. She is the dam of Americanrevolution (Constitution), the winner of the GI Cigar Mile H. with earnings of $1.2 million. She's has a wonderful pedigree. Americanrevolution is by a son of Tapit, so this mating makes a lot of sense. She is also the dam of another winner, Bold Journey (Hard Spun) and I own the 3-year-old, Paleta (Collected), for whom we have high hopes. She's a proven mare with a good family from outstanding breeders.
LITTLEPRINCESSEMMA(17, Yankee Gentleman-Exclusive Rosette, by Ecliptical). From the Summer Wind broodmare band of Flightline's breeder and co-owner Jane Lyon, we have one of her crown jewels, Littleprincessemma, the dam of none other than Triple Crown winner and sire American Pharoah. She is also the dam of Grade I-placed American Cleopatra (Pioneerof the Nile), GI Starlet S. winner Chasing Yesterday (Tapit) and Flightline's paddock mate as a baby, Triple Tap (Tapit).
EDGEWAY (6, Competitive Edge-Magical Solution, by Stormin Fever). A new acquisition on behalf of Summer Wind for Flightline's book was Edgeway, purchased at Keeneland November for $1.7 million. John Sadler thought she was an exceptionally talented filly–a tough runner who raced from three to five for Hronis Racing. She was second in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, and was a multiple graded stakes winner over her three seasons of racing. She comes from a deep family of tough, classy graded stakes runners in New York and California. Flightline always seemed to have an affinity for her; when she was walking around John Sadler's shedrow, he'd always look at her and nicker.
After Bell's the One (Majesticperfection) did not meet her reserve of $2.6 million at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale, owner Bob Lothenbach has decided to retain the 6-year-old mare and will breed her, reports her trainer, Neil Pessin.
“More than likely, the plan is to send her to the breeding shed,” Pessin said. “We don't know who we'll breed her to yet. It's yet to be determined, but we should decide that within the next two or three weeks. Bob is a breeder and has about 40 mares. He breeds a lot of Minnesota breds. She won't be one of those.”
Bell's the One has been sent to Collier Mathes's Chesapeake Farm in Lexington, Kentucky to begin preparations for her next career.
While he will miss having Bell's The One in his barn, Pessin said that with Lothenbach keeping her he will still have a connection to the mare.
“I thought we'd be right in that neighborhood,” Pessin said when asked if he thought she would meet her reserve. “Either way, I was going to be happy and sad. I was going to have the full spectrum of emotions no matter what happened. This way I get to go visit her at the farm and see the baby.”
Pessin said the plan is for Lothenbach to keep her foals and race them. Pessin will be the trainer.
“I'll be training whatever she has,” he said. “Hopefully, she's as good a mom as she was a race horse. Hopefully, we'll get one that takes us to the Derby. You might as well aim high.”
Pessin said no consideration was given to running Bell's The One next year.
“We decided at the beginning of the year that this would be her last year,” Pessin said. “We were hoping to enter the Breeders' Cup but that didn't work out. We decided that with her about to turn seven that she had done everything we had asked of her. She missed one race in five years that I was pointing to. I told Bob she can't do much more for us.”
A talented and durable sprint specialist, Bell's the One made 27 starts, won 13 races, 11 of them stakes and earned $2,000,675. Her biggest win came in the 2020 GI Derby City Distaff S. She also won the GII Raven Run S., the GII Thoroughbred Club of America S. and the GII Honorable Miss H.
“You don't replace a horse like that,” Pessin said. “You hope to get one that might be as good, but you never replace one like this.
A few weeks before Bell's The One (Majesticperfection – Street Mate, by Street Cry {Ire}) made her career debut, her trainer Neil Pessin set aside a few dollars to place a wager on the promising juvenile. But in the days leading up to the race, he started to rethink the idea.
Every morning as Bell's The One went out to gallop, the juvenile would stop in the middle of the track, somewhere around the sixteenth pole, and refuse to move. Pessin would have to take to the track, red-faced with frustration, to lead her off to the barn.
He cut down his bet considerably the morning of her debut only to watch a few hours later as she won with ease at Arlington, paying $67.80 to win.
That was the last time Pessin had anything less than full confidence going into a race with Bell's The One. Four years since that first career victory, Bell's The One is now a five-time graded stakes winner with over $2 million in earnings and has collected stakes wins in each of her five seasons on the racetrack.
“Every time I lead her over, I expect her to win,” Pessin said. “If she gets beat, it's either human error or…well, usually it's human error. If she gets to run her race and she shows up, which she does most of the time, she's hard to beat. She gives you 110% every time. I'm as confident as anybody in the race when I put her bridle on.”
While Bell's the One was originally slated to run in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, Pessin and her connections made the decision on Tuesday to skip the championship meet.
“She had a minor setback that will prevent us from running,” her trainer said. “I've always said that if she's not 100%, we're not going. She could be 95% or 99%, but we're not taking that chance with her. It's just a timing thing. If we had three more weeks we would probably be able to run, but she has done right by me for five years so I've got to do right by her for this race. But she earned her right to be there. ”
While Bell's The One won't make it to the Breeders' Cup starting gate, she will be in the spotlight in a few weeks for the Fasig-Tipton 'Night of the Stars' Sale. Until then, she will remain at Pessin's barn at Churchill Downs.
“She's still in light training,” Pessin explained. “We want to keep her in her same routine. She'll train just to keep her looking good. She's doing great. She is six going on seven and she's getting better every year.”
Bell's The One, who is easily the most accomplished horse in Pessin's training career, has been a fixture at the conditioner's barn at Churchill Downs over the years. While the 6-year-old mare grew out of most of the obstinate tendencies she had as a juvenile, Pessin said that there has never been a question of who ruled the stable.
“Oh, she is the queen,” he said. “She tells us what to do. She tells me how to train her and when to run her. She probably gets, at minimum, 50 mints a day. But that's lowballing.”
Pessin picked out Bell's The One for Bob Lothenbach's Lothenbach Stables at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton July Sale. Drawn to the Bret Jones-bred filly for her athleticism and cat-like walk, they brought home the daughter of Majesticperfection for $155,000.
“We thought it was a pretty good deal at the time, but she turned out to be even more athletic than she was as a yearling,” Pessin said. “She has always shown ability from the first day we worked her.”
Undefeated in three starts including a stakes win at two and the winner of the GII Raven Run S. at three, Bell's The One got her signature victory at four with a photo-finish win over GISW Serengeti Empress (Alternation) in the 2020 GI Derby City Distaff S. on the Kentucky Derby undercard.
The achievement marked not only the first Grade I win for Bell's the One, but also for her trainer, who runs a boutique stable of about 15 horses.
“Winning that race was extremely satisfying not so much for me, but for her,” Pessin said. “I don't really care about all that stuff. I don't care if I get an award or get patted on the back. I care about the horses. When she won, it was satisfying for me because it just proved how much quality she has and how good of a mare she is.”
Bell's The One added two more graded scores to her resume at five in the GII Honorable Miss H. at Saratoga and the GII Thoroughbred Club of America S. This year, the 6-year-old ran second in the GI Madison S. and most recently won two lucrative stakes contests at Churchill Downs.
While the Bell's The One fan club has grown over the years, Pessin said that two of the mare's biggest admirers have been her jockey Corey Lanerie, who has been aboard for all but a handful of her 27 career starts, and her owner Bob Lothenbach.
“I can't tell you how great Bob has been to train for,” Pessin said. “He doesn't interfere with what we do on the day to day or the races we pick. He just loves the sport and he is a wonderful owner. He cares about the horses, too.”
When Bell's The One returns to Fasig-Tipton, the site where her story began back in 2017, for the 'Night of the Stars' Sale, she will sell as Hip 267 with Taylor Made Sales.
While the millionaire's outstanding race record speaks for itself, Fasig-Tipton's Boyd Browning said that the mare's pedigree will hold equal appeal for buyers. Her dam Street Mate (Street Cry {Ire}) was bred by successful owner-breeder Edward Evans and her produce record boasts six winners from as many to race including recent GIII Knickerbocker S. victor King Cause (Creative Cause).
“I think that Bell's The One really is a unique pedigree,” Browning said. “It's truly a reflection of the breeding program that was so important to Ned Evans. She typifies the type of horse that Ned wanted to breed-Grade I horse, durable, consistent and with heart.”
“Bell's The One has all the ingredients to be a successful producer,” he continued. “She tries hard every time. She's got pedigree. She's got heart. She's got the speed, but she also has the class in her pedigree that will allow her decedents to carry that speed a distance. She's just a tremendous prospect that will likely produce terrific racehorses for the next generation.”
While she will soon become an important addition to someone's broodmare band, Bell's The One will be sorely missed back at the Pessin barn and her empty stall overlooking Longfield Avenue at Churchill Down will not go unnoticed.
“When Bell leaves the barn, there will be a huge hole,” Pessin admitted. “It won't be a hole that will be filled. It'll just be a void for a while. I'll miss just walking down the barn and playing with her and giving her mints. I'll miss leading her over there, knowing you're going to win the race. It's a special feeling, just having her here.”
Pessin may be soon parting with the most accomplished horse he has ever trained for now, but there is one thing he is sure of.
“I'll go see her wherever she goes,” he said. “Whatever farm she's at, I'll be there. If she goes to Japan, I'm going to Japan. They'll just have to get ready for me to come over. And if she throws off the athleticism that she has to her foals, I think she'll be a great broodmare.”
