Tom Pedulla is interviewing prominent owners, trainers, and jockeys as they travel the Road to the 150th Kentucky Derby (G1) May 4 at Churchill Downs.
This installment features Kerry and Alan Ribble. They are majority owners of Honor Marie, who secured a Kentucky Derby berth when he ran second in the Louisiana Derby (G2) March 23 at Fair Grounds. The son of Honor Code provided the Ribbles with their first graded-stakes victory when he captured the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) Nov. 25 at Churchill Downs.
Honor Marie has shown an affinity for the home of the Kentucky Derby. He made his first three lifetime starts there for trainer Whit Beckman, sandwiching victories around a second-place effort in an allowance-optional claiming race beneath the Twin Spires.
The son of the Smart Strike mare Dame Marie was purchased for a modest $40,000 at Keeneland's September Yearling Sale. He has compiled a record of two wins and two seconds from five starts with earnings of $526,175.
The Ribbles live in Arkansas. They discussed their love of Thoroughbred racing, their desire to compete above the claiming level and find a "Saturday" horse, and their Derby prospects with Honor Marie during a question-and-answer session conducted on behalf of America's Best Racing.
TOM PEDULLA: Where does the name Honor Marie come from?
KR: We like to combine the names of the sire and the dam. When we saw 'Marie' in it, we were just like, 'We cannot pass on this opportunity to honor our Marie.' She's one of our nine grandkids. Probably the next horse we name is going to have to be like 'The Other Eight.' We don't want to leave anybody out.
TP: Please tell me about your meeting with Kyle Zorn of Legion Bloodstock. I believe you told him you hoped to leave the claiming game and land a 'Saturday' horse.
AR: We had a two-hour lunch with him, and he convinced us to come out to the sales with him to look at the horses. They were very patient with us. We were there to learn, 10 hours a day looking at horses and taking notes. And we decided those were our guys to help us pick out horses.
KR: We had been with David Vance for about eight years and really, really enjoyed the business with him and learned so much from him. But he was getting very close to retirement and we're just like, 'Are we going to give it up? Are we ready to move forward?' So, I told Kyle we'd like to step it up. We'd like an allowance horse, a Saturday horse. We never dreamed our Saturday horse was going to be on the first Saturday in May.
TP: What did it mean to win your first graded stakes race in the Kentucky Jockey Club?
KR: We did make the road trip, so we felt pretty good about it. But I think we're still pinching ourselves over the whole process. We hadn't won an allowance race. We just skipped over to a graded stake. It just seemed impossible.
AR: Whit felt very confident. He said, 'We're going to do fine in this race. We belong here.' A top-three finish, we'd be ecstatic. At the time, getting Derby points seemed like the world to us.
TP: Kerry, I know your father published a tip sheet called 'Inside Connection.' Is that how you learned racing?
KR: It really is. He still publishes it and he's 86 years old. For as long as I can remember, I've heard horse talk. I've heard his handicapping tips. He always said the ownership side was something we should get into. When this all came along, he has really enjoyed the ride with us.
TP: Kerry, what is your father's name? And which tracks does he cover?
KR: Tommy Lynch. He'll do Oaklawn Park and then Louisiana Downs.
TP: I understand part of your honeymoon in 1980 was going to Louisiana Downs.
KR: Well, he has since paid me back nicely.
TP: What was your first horse?
KR: That was what Alan gave me for Christmas one year. We have a good friend, jockey Terry Thompson. Alan talked to Terry and Terry hooked us up with David Vance. The second horse we claimed, Bad Student, won something like 11 races for us and we thought, 'This is easy.' You don't realize this is not easy.
TP: What has Whit Beckman meant to Honor Marie's development?
AR: Whit has taught us patience with the horse. He is very much, 'Let's bring this horse along slowly. It's a good horse. Be patient with me.' He taught us to let the horse tell us what he wants to do. So far, it's really, really paid off for us.
TP: Honor Marie owns two wins and a second at Churchill Downs. That must be very encouraging.
KR: Part of the pressure in trying to get our Derby points, we all were thinking, 'We just have to get him back to Churchill.' We just felt that was going to be his sweet spot.
AR: He just seems to stretch out a little more on that surface. He liked the Fair Grounds, but they couldn't wait to get him back to Churchill.
TP: Were you pleased to run second to Catching Freedom in the Louisiana Derby?
KR: Absolutely, we were pleased. I think if he had a little more track he could have won it.
AR: My thoughts were first or second. As he was coming down the stretch, I couldn't tell you how far he was from first place, but I could tell you exactly how far ahead he was from third place. I knew second place got us into the Derby, so I was ecstatic about that.
TP: Will the mile and a quarter be to Honor Marie's advantage?
AR: Oh, yes. The farther the better. This horse seems to like distance. We wish it was a mile and a half.
TP: Do you allow yourselves to dream of winning the Derby?
KR: Absolutely. Every night. I do allow myself to dream of it, but I know what happens to me emotionally. So, I just try to be so grateful that we are where we are and doing what we're doing and celebrating with our friends and family. I was a basket case trying to qualify [for the Derby]. Getting here works for me.
AR: Well, I think our horse has a legitimate shot to win it. Part of the fun of it for me is dreaming of winning. The odds against us being in it are so astronomical, why can't we win?
