John Parisella: 

In the colorful and often unpredictable world of American horse racing, few figures stood at the crossroads of glamour and grit like John Parisella. Rising from New York’s racetracks during the 1960s and ’70s, Parisella earned a reputation as a sharp, intuitive trainer whose horsemanship matched his ability to navigate the personalities that orbited the sport. His barns were gathering points not only for owners and jockeys, but a constellation of celebrities, gamblers, and underworld characters who treated the backstretch like a private club. Parisella had a gift: he made everyone—from Hollywood actors to neighborhood bookmakers—feel like they belonged.

Parisella’s connection to celebrities became something of a trademark. Actors, crooners, and television personalities drifted into his orbit, drawn by his charm, his quick wit, and his uncanny ability to handicap life as well as races. He counted Rodney Dangerfield, Telly Savalas, and Howard Cosell among his regular visitors, men who appreciated Parisella’s mix of street-smart charisma and racetrack savvy. For many, a morning at the barn with John was just as exciting as a night at the Copa. He understood show business and he understood horse racing—and he moved between the two with effortless New York swagger.

But the racetrack in those years wasn’t just celebrities and cocktails. It had its shadows, and Parisella grew up in an era when mob influence still lingered around the betting windows and stable gates. He wasn’t a gangster—far from it—but he knew the streets, and he knew the men who ran them. New York’s racing scene in the ’60s and ’70s featured a cast of bookmakers, fixers, and wiseguys who treated the track like their winter headquarters. Parisella handled these characters with diplomacy and discretion, earning respect without ever crossing the line. It was a delicate dance that only a few were capable of performing.

Among horsemen, Parisella’s relationships were equally compelling. He shared both rivalry and camaraderie with Bobby Frankel, the future Hall-of-Famer who began as a hotwalker under Buddy Jacobson. Parisella and Frankel were competitive but bonded by a shared love for horses and an understanding of the racetrack’s unforgiving demands. They traded horses, traded tips, and traded the kind of verbal jabs only New York trainers could deliver. Their friendship represented the golden age of the New York circuit—raw, brutally honest, and filled with characters you couldn’t invent.

And then there was Buddy Jacobson, the brilliant and controversial trainer whose life swung between triumph and turbulence. Parisella knew Buddy well—everyone in New York racing did—and the two shared an era defined by big personalities and bigger headlines. Where Buddy was impulsive, Parisella was strategic; where Buddy chased the nightlife, Parisella managed the spotlight. Yet both were magnetic figures who elevated the intensity of the sport. Parisella watched as Buddy’s legend turned stormy, a reminder of how thin the line could be between stardom and downfall in racing’s pressure cooker. Through it all, Parisella’s reputation remained intact—respected, connected, and admired.

Today, John Parisella stands as one of the last living links to a vanished New York—an era of great horses, legendary trainers, celebrities drifting through the barns at dawn, and backstretch tales that blurred the line between fact and folklore. His story is not just about racehorses; it is about navigating an entire world of personalities with grace, intelligence, and a certain unmistakable New York charm.