The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed sale begins Feb. 5, and a special draw is that it includes the dispersal of late owner/breeder Bob Lothenbach’s breeding stock. Last week, Fasig-Tipton conducted digital bidding for the dispersal of Lothenbach’s horses of racing age stock.
With more than 50 hips on offer in Lexington, the sale provides a great opportunity to have a piece of the quality Lothenbach was known for building. Lothenbach, who was a top-10 owner in 2020 and 2022, died in November of 2023.
“There were not many owners in this era, who bred to race, bought to race, and that’s all; never sold anything, really, and kept the fillies and bred them when they were done racing. It’s a huge loss,” said Derek MacKenzie of Vinery Sales, who is consigning many of Lothenbach’s dispersal. “There are not enough of these kinds of owners in the business anymore. We wish we had more owners like him. Everybody does.”
Standing at the fore of his dispersal is Bell’s the One . The Kentucky-bred 8-year-old mare finished in the top three in all but six of her 27 career starts (13-5-3) with earnings that eclipsed $2 million. In 2020, she finished third in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1). The daughter of Majesticperfection out of the Street Cry mare Street Mate earned her biggest career win when she bested 2019 Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Serengeti Empress to take the Derby City Distaff Stakes (G1) in 2020.
“I think she’s the queen of the sale,” said MacKenzie. “There’s not going to be another filly in this sale that has her racing ability and not even close. She’s beautiful to look at and has a great temperament—she fits the bill for being the queen.”
Consigned as Hip 476, Bell’s the One was bred by Bret Jones and trained by Neil Pessin.
Another mare on offer is She Can’t Sing , consigned as Hip 485.
She Can’t Sing wins the 2022 Chilukki Stakes at Churchill Downs
By Bernardini and out of the winning Distorted Humor mare Distorted Music, She Can’t Sing has plenty of black type to her name. She won the 2022 Chilukki Stakes (G3) and finished on the board in two other graded races.
“A very sound mare that ran a long time, and is a graded stakes winner. She’s big and scopey and has plenty of leg,” noted MacKenzie. “Bernardini is a great broodmare sire, she’s got that going for her, and she’s bigger and taller than most Bernies. I think she’s a pretty sexy filly for someone to pick up for a broodmare.”
Others that Vinery will bring to the sales ring include Hip 474, Audrey’s Time . A stakes-winning, graded stakes-placed daughter of Uncle Mo , Audrey’s Time notched four wins from 19 starts with a career bankroll of $326,393. She is believed to be in foal to five-time leading sire Into Mischief .
“A nice race filly, don’t underestimate what she did,” MacKenzie said. “Does she get overshadowed in racing a touch by the other two big mares? Maybe, but she was a tough, tough racehorse. A nice racehorse with a great pedigree, and in foal to the right sire. She’s going to foal here any day.”
Another mare who is believed to be in foal is Hip 467 No Fault of Mine .
A Lothenbach homebred, No Fault of Mine is by Blame and out of the grade 3-winning Flatter mare Single Solution . She raced 16 times with a 5-6-0 mark. She never won a graded stake in six tries, but was second in the 2014 Golden Rod Stakes (G2) and 2016 Arlington Matron Stakes (G3). She earned $267,814.
She sells Tuesday in foal to Omaha Beach , who was the fourth-leading first-year sire by progeny earnings in 2023.
“(Lothenbach) didn’t cheap out on stallions or stud fees,” explained MacKenzie. “He bred to good horses and wasn’t scared to pony up the stud fees to get to those good horses. That is why his stock was so strong all these years.”
