Bell’s The One to Skip Breeders’ Cup, Now Prepares for Night of the Stars Sale

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.”

 

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Keeneland Ringman Sends First Pinhook Through Sales Ring

Of all the pinhookers at this year's Keeneland September Sale, DeJuan Smith has definitely taken the most hands-on approach. While some sellers might watch anxiously from the back ring or in a seat in the sales pavilion, Smith will quite literally be on the shank of his own horse as it goes through the sales ring.

Smith is a ringman for Keeneland and also a show person for Taylor Made Sales. On Thursday Hip 3452, his first pinhook project, will sell with Taylor Made.

Could Smith be the first person to ever handle his own horse in the esteemed Keeneland sales ring? Quite possibly.

Smith has led hundreds–if not thousands–of horses through the ring, but will he be nervous for this particular sale?

“Yes,” the horseman said without a moment's hesitation. “I just want people to like him and for him to go to a good home.”

Smith's pinhook is by Palace Malice and out of Fiery Pulpit (Pulpit). The colt's female family features several stakes horses including Grade I stakes-placed Edwards Going Left (Midnight Lute).

“He has a good mind and he's a very strong horse,” Smith explained. “He covers the ground with a nice, big walk and he's balanced through his shoulder and hip.”

Smith leads a million-dollar yearling through the ring during Book 1 of Keeneland September | Keeneland

Smith and his wife Madeline have had a long-term goal of getting involved in the pinhooking game. They decided to take action at this year's Keeneland January Sale. Smith knew he would not have time to peruse the sales grounds looking at horses himself since he would be busy showing at the Taylor Made consignment in the mornings and then working as a ringman throughout the day, so he asked Mark Taylor to pick out a few prospects. They ended up with the Palace Malice colt, a $23,000 purchase, as well as a Preservationist colt who is from the family of champion Halfbridled (Unbridled) and will sell as Hip 4010 on the final day of the sale this week.

Both yearlings have developed at the Smiths' home in Florida, where the couple meticulously prepped them for the sale themselves.

“We've broke them too,” Smith said. “They're already ready for a rider. We probably took a month off of training for someone when they purchase these horses. They love apples and carrots and peppermints. Most yearlings don't know about treats like that, but my wife has them eating out of your hand. When you look at these yearlings and see how good they look, that's all her. That's not Show Sheen. It's just natural shine from her grooming them.”

Smith, who has built an impressive resume in the industry since he first got started in 2008, is the only member of his family to be involved in the sport. He described how his childhood in New York City was a drastically different environment than where he is today.

“We didn't have anything,” he said. “It was my mom, my brother and me and we were living between shelters and moving around the city a lot. My mom had some personal issues so we eventually had to go with her sister for a bit until she got straightened out.”

Smith was a self-described 'knucklehead' as a teenager, but when he and his family moved to Virginia, it was there that he was introduced to horse racing.

At a party, he met the son of Dale Jenkins, brother of legendary show jumper and trainer Rodney Jenkins. Smith was instantly interested in the business and began helping his new friend turn out horses and scrub water buckets.

Smith said his favorite job in racing is riding, exclaiming that he has, 'A need for speed!' | photo courtesy DeJuan Smith

He began working as a groom at various farms and major sales, and eventually claimed a horse for $500 at Charles Town. The filly won several races and when it came time for her to retire, Smith decided to teach himself how to ride.

“Nobody ever has time to teach you,” he said. “So I just watched what other people did. I'm perceptive in that way.”

From there, he looked to get involved with the 2-year-old sales.

“I knew how to ride and had been working the yearling sales, but it's very hard to get in when people haven't seen you ride,” he said. “Eventually Kip Elser [Kirkwood Stables] gave me a shot. I'm still an assistant trainer for him to this day. At the time he had some difficult horses and people saw how I handled them, so it kind of gave me a name.”

When Smith wanted to try his hand on the racetrack, he spent several summers exercise riding in Saratoga for Todd Pletcher and Jonathan Thomas, riding the likes of Grade I winners Audible, Always Dreaming and Catholic Boy. It was there that he met his wife Madeline, who was working for trainer Jeremiah Englehart.

While riding is easily his favorite job amongst all the many hats he has worn, Smith said that he and his wife hope that their pinhooks this week at Keeneland September will serve as the launching point for them to get more involved in the sales arena. Smith doesn't spend much time shadowing bloodstock agents or watching the sales from the sidelines. Instead he prefers to learn in action as he shows horses at Taylor Made and works as a ringman.

“Even when you're doing stuff like that, you're meeting people and they're telling you about confirmation and pedigrees and everything,” he explained. “The more you're around it, the more you learn. Right now I'm trying to learn the sales business and make a bit of money. I still have a lot to learn, but I think I'm pretty good at the confirmation part.”

Once the Keeneland September Sale concludes, Smith will catch a flight west to help run a consignment for the Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearlings and Horses of Racing Age Sale. From there, he'll be in Florida for the OBS October Sale and then will head back to Kentucky for the fall breeding stock sales. After that it's back home to Ocala, where 2-year-old consignors are already clamoring for his help leading into the juvenile sales season.

Smith explained that he is a completely different person than he was before he got involved in racing and he credits people like Mark Taylor and John Hall, the late, longtime yearling manager for Taylor Made, who have helped him along the way.

“With racing, I learned that trying to be a good person and staying humble gets you farther than trying to always be looking for your next quick move,” he said. “Ever since I started with the sales, people like Mark and John Hall have been life-changing people. Their presence inspires you to do well.”

Aside from the Smiths, no one will be more excited to watch this pair of pinhooks go through the ring than Mark Taylor.

“I have a lot of respect for DeJuan,” Taylor said. “He's very loyal, smart and hard working. He's everything you would want from someone working for you, and now the fact that he owns horses is great. One of the great things about this business is that it gives the opportunity for people who have started at the bottom and have an entrepreneurial spirit to take that step and become participants. We're going to be working hard so we can help him have a good sale.”

“We're not expecting to make a fortune,” Smith said. “But we're hoping to make a return so we can get another one.”

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Taylor Made CEO Mark Taylor Talks Not This Time, Yearling Sales On Writers’ Room

Business is booming at Taylor Made, not just because of the company's continued status as the largest sales consignor in the country, but also on the stallion side with the continued ascent of their young star sire Not This Time. Tuesday, Taylor Made CEO joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland as the Green Group Guest of the Week to talk about Not This Time's newest Grade I winner in Runhappy Travers S. romper Epicenter, his team's approach to yearling sales and more.

“You can never predict that a horse is going to do what Not This Time has done,” Taylor said. “We've been down this path before. We had Saint Ballado, who led the general sires' list. We had Unbridled's Song, who led the general sires' list. And then we've had a lot of horses who never even got close to leading the general sires' list. So when a horse starts out and they're showing promise, people love their babies, the market is reacting positively to them, you feel the momentum building, but then you don't know what's going to happen when the racetrack acid test really happens. But he's just a horse who's gone from strength to strength. At every stage he's excelled and we're very blessed to have him on our farm. He just keeps ratcheting up from one level to the next, and we don't know where it's going to land him, but it looks pretty promising right now.”

Elsewhere on the show, which is also sponsored by Coolmore, Lane's End, the KTOB, West Point Thoroughbreds, Three Chimneys, XBTV and Legacy Bloodstock, the writers broke down a huge Saturday at Saratoga and looked forward to Flightline (Tapit)'s much-anticipated start in the GI TVG Pacific Classic. Click here to watch the show; click here for the audio-only version or find it on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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Taylor Made Partners to Offer Customers Cryptocurrency Payments

Leading consignor Taylor Made Sales has announced a partnership with the Montreal-based fintech company Dello to offer cryptocurrency payments to its customers.

“Taylor Made has clients from all over the world,” said Taylor Made CEO Mark Taylor. “We want to make things as easy as possible for them. Accepting crypto makes good business sense.”

Dello enables sellers to accept cryptocurrency without ever having to convert it or handle it directly, according to a press release from Taylor Made. Since the crypto payments are settled in local currency, the seller doesn't have to change the way he handles his accounting procedures. Also, by converting the crypto to local currency at the time of purchase, Dello guarantees the seller receives the exact amount they charged the customer, minus a small fee.

Olivier Benloulou, President of Dello, explained, “Dello provides merchants with a comfort zone for crypto acceptance. We eliminate concerns about price volatility and tax issues which have been two of the biggest barriers to the adoption of crypto-enabled payments. Our service enables merchants to venture into the world of crypto with fewer worries. It is an honor to work with a company like Taylor Made.”

Taylor Made will start accepting crypto payments this month for all of their services.

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