John Parisella
| John Parisella | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 1, 1944 Brooklyn, New York, USA |
| Residence | Atlantic Beach, New York |
| Nationality |
 United States |
| Ethnicity | Italian |
| Occupation | horse trainer |
| Spouse(s) |
Bernadette Birk (m. 1975, divorced) Melissa Parisella Keller Coveney (divorced) |
| Children |
Bethenny Frankel (step-daughter) Gabrielle Parisella (w/Melissa) |
John Parisella is an American horse trainer with 1,222 first place finishes in 6,692 starts and $22,442,757 in career earnings.[1] He is known for training the racehorses Fight Over[2] and Simply Majestic.[3]
Early life and career
Parisella was born in Brooklyn[4] to an Italian Catholic family.[5][6] Parisella started his career as an assistant to Tommy Gullo, a legendary betting trainer.[4] His mentor was horse trainer John P. Campo.[7] Later he became a full-fledge horse trainer training horses for his uncle Joe Scandore who managed horses for James Caan, Don Adams, Telly Savalas and Don Rickles.[4][8]
Parisella pioneered the use of foreign horses, mostly from Canada and turning them into stakes winners.[4]
Personal life
Parisella has been married twice:
- In 1975, he married Bernadette Birk, the former wife of Jewish American horse trainer Robert J. Frankel.[9][10] Parisella and Frankel were originally friends as well as competitors.[4] Parisella raised Bethenny, Birk's daughter with Frankel as his own child from the age of five.[9] His stepdaughter, Bethenny Frankel (b. 1970), later went on to become a reality TV star.[9]
- Melissa Parisella Keller Coveney with whom he has a daughter Gabrielle (b. 1989).[8][11] They divorced and Melissa has married twice since first to American football player Mike Keller with whom she had two children[12] and later to Robert Coveney.
Parisella appeared twice on the Johnny Carson Show.[4]
References
- ↑ Equibase: Stats Central - Trainer Profile Page: John Parisella February 8, 2013
- ↑ BILL CHRISTINE (February 11, 1985). "It's a Slow Track for Racing : Sport of Kings Is Beset With Problems, Weak Management". Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ California Thoroughbred Association: "A Glorious Time: Simple Majestic" by ROBERT KNOLHOFF JR. retrieved February 9, 2013
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Horse Race Insider: "A Brooklyn Tale" November 18, 2009
- ↑ A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out of Life By Bethenny Frankel p.28
- ↑ Bethenny Ever After Season 2 Episode 4 - It's My Baptism and I'll Cry if I Want To 1/4. 6:45: YouTube. "I went to Catholic school because my stepfather was Catholic"
- ↑ John Pricci (November 18, 2005). "Campo Was A Diamond In the Rough". NBC Sports.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 BILL CHRISTINE (June 7, 1990). "HORSE RACING BELMONT STAKES : Outspoken New York Trainer Has Some Unbridled Opinions". Los Angeles Times.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 People: "Bethenny Frankel: Love Saved My Life" By LIZ MCNEIL July 19, 2010
- ↑ New York Daily News: "'Real Housewives of New York City' star Bethenny Frankel and husband Jason Hoppy separating" By Bill Hutchinson December 23, 2012
- ↑ LMU Lions website retrieved February 9, 2013
- ↑ Brian VanOchten (October 4, 2009). "Mike Keller's short stint with Cowboys on the field led to long career in sports marketing". The Grand Rapids Press.