ST. GEORGE, Utah — Utahns Val and Kelly Brinkerhoff are in the Bluegrass State this week, not on vacation, but preparing for one of the biggest weekends in horse racing.
"Coming from where we come from, the bush tracks of Utah, to where we are today, it’s quite an accomplishment, and we’re very happy to be here," said Val.
On Friday, the Brinkeroff's will race the horses they train in the Kentucky Oaks, a major preliminary race ahead of the run for the roses at Churchill Downs, the Kentucky Derby.
The couple from Fillmore have been working together, training horses for as long as they’ve been married which is at 47 years and counting.
"It’s a lot of fun and we enjoy the horses and the people we get to be around and so it’s easy," said Kelly.
This year's Derby is a big one, the 150th year of big fancy hats and mint juleps.
"All the top horses and people in the world are here," explained Vall. "Fourteen get to be in the race we’re in, 20 get to be in the Kentucky Derby and that’s out of thousands and thousands of people, and so we feel very privileged to be here and for our owners to give us a chance with the horses we’ve got."
The Brinkerhoff's filly, Where’s My Ring, has had some trouble along the way to Kentucky.
"We got her over these ulcers and she just started getting better and better and better, and then we added blinkers to her so she could focus leaving the starting gate and now we’re here and she’s still getting better and better and better," Val said.
Where's My Ring is now back and stronger than ever. Earlier this month, she pulled ahead of the rest of pack and won a big race in New York. But being in Kentucky is already a dream come true for Val, a 67-year-old former jockey who ran his last race recently in Richfield.
"Every week in southern Utah you’d load up your horses and go to a town and run them, and the next week another town and the next week another town," Val explained.
He said those tracks helped teach him a lot and prepare him for this week's incredible opportunity.
"There’s a lot of good horsemen there that don’t get a chance," he said. "I mean, you gotta just drop everything and take a shot, and we did, and we’re doing pretty good right now."
The Brinkerhoff's now live in St. George where they help operate the Washington County Equestrian Center and Dixie Downs.
"It’s been a wild ride and we’re enjoying every bit of this right here," Kelly said.
