John Parisella

John Parisella (September 1, 1944 – July 3, 2026) was an American horse trainer known for training the racehorses Fight Over and Simply Majestic. He last raced during 2016 and by year's end had 1,241 career wins.

Early life and career Parisella was born in Brooklyn to an Italian Catholic family. Parisella started his career as an assistant to Tommy Gullo, a legendary betting trainer. 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.

He pioneered the use of foreign horses, mostly from Canada and turning them into stakes winners. Parisella and Frankel were originally friends as well as competitors. They divorced and Melissa has since remarried twice: first to American football player Mike Keller, with whom she had two children.

He appeared twice on The Johnny Carson Show.