When Robbie Norman of Alabama was flipping through the channels on his T.V. 14 years ago, he chalked it up to fate that he ended up on TVG watching horse races. The next spring he was at Ocala Breeders' Sales buying his first racehorse, and after that he was hooked.
Norman owns Coal Battle, the front-runner on the Road to the Kentucky Derby with 70 points after a win in the Rebel Stakes (G2) Feb. 23 at Oaklawn Park. From the first crop of Coal Front, he sold for $70,000 at the Texas Thoroughbred Association Yearling Sale in 2023, and has now earned more than $1 million.
BloodHorse: How did Coal Battle come out of the race?
Robbie Norman: From what (trainer) Lonnie (Briley) told me, very well. We are extremely happy about that and everything is good.
BH: Coal Battle was a $70,000 yearling purchase at the 2023 Texas Thoroughbred Association Yearling Sale; what drew you and your team to the horse?
RN: I love going to the sales, it's something I look forward to every year, especially the 2-year-old sales. But that year (2023), I could not make it to the Texas sale. I did not go, but I did the bidding online.
Lonnie got it down to three horses. We like the regional markets, and the goal there was to buy the best Louisiana-breds possible at the Texas sale. Coal Battle was Kentucky-bred. I was a little iffy if we really wanted to get him, and I kept going back to Lonnie's other two that he liked, but Lonnie, you could tell in his voice that Coal Battle was his favorite. I could sense it, and he kept going back to it. And I said we're going to try and get him (Coal Battle). Originally, the thought process was the most that we would pay would be $40,000, and that's usually in my range.
We always like their (consignor Red River Farms) horses. I know the Adcocks, and they're wonderful people. I like dealing with good people, and the people that have good horses. I told Lonnie in the past, check over everything at Red River real good. In the 12 years that I've been in racing, I thought eventually I could tell a good horse from a bad one, and I am not able to tell anything. All that pressure goes on Lonnie to find a good horse.
When we buy a horse at that sale, you're eligible for a $150,000 race as a 2-year-old at the first part of July, and then as a 3-year-old, at the end of March, they have a $100,000 race. So, when we originally bought Coal Battle, that was the plan, to point to those races.
I had bought one other horse from that sale, and her name is (multiple stakes winner) Secret Faith. She's won seven out of eight races. We're hoping to run her in the Fair Grounds Oaks, for her to make it to the Kentucky Oaks.
BH: You made out very well with horses from that sale.
RN: Yes, the filly (Secret Faith) has won six stakes, and Coal Battle has won four in a row. That was like a dream sale. You couldn't ask for any better.
Back to Coal Battle, he was towards the end of the sale. Here I was doing the online bidding, and whoever was there just kept bidding and bidding. From about $40,000, you could tell it was just me and someone else. I said, well, Lonnie really liked this horse, and I don't want him to go to the sale and not get anything, so I just kept going. I'm glad they stopped, and we were able to get him for $70,000.
BH: Is Coal Battle the most accomplished horse you've owned?
RN: Yes. I won a grade 3 in California (2017 Midnight Lute Stakes) with Mark Glatt and Silent Bird. Speed figure-wise, you couldn't ask for a nicer horse. Money-wise and I think in the future, Coal Battle is the best one I've had by far.
BH: What does it mean to have a horse on the top of the Kentucky Derby leaderboard?
RN: It's very exciting. I live In Alabama, and when I got into this 12 years ago, I did not know anything about racing. Most people here, if you were to come to Alabama, it's all about football. They will ask you if you're Roll Tide or an Eagle. That dominates the sports theme in Alabama. People don't really understand $5,000, $10,000, $20,000 claiming races. What they ask is: are you in the Kentucky Derby? And I'm thinking, do they know how hard it is to be in the Kentucky Derby and what you've got to do?
When we got two wins, and we had 20 points, it was like, the Rebel (Stakes) was so important to get those extra points. If you have a misstep or get caught behind horses, and you finish sixth you don't get any points, and then you're scrambling.
I never really had the Derby fever, but now that we've got the points, I am telling more people about it and getting excited about it. We're excited about the race, and we just can't believe Coal Battle keeps doing what he's doing. We're so happy for Lonnie, and it is a wonderful dream to have the opportunity to go to the Kentucky Derby.
BH: How did you get into racing?
RN: I went through a divorce 14 years ago, and as I've said before, it was something I really didn't want. My ex-wife and I get along great now, but I had two small boys, and it was just one of those things in life that was just something you never thought was going to happen. I moved into an apartment in downtown Thomasville before I was going to start looking for a new home, and I was sitting in bed one night thinking: how did I get myself in this mess? I said I've got to do something to change the narrative, and I've got to find a hobby or something.
I didn't like to hunt; I didn't like to fish. A few nights later, I was flipping through the channels, and it was just fate, I guess. I flipped it on a horse racing channel, probably TVG, where they show one race right after the other. I watched a few races, and then they started a documentary on Union Rags. I watched that for about 30 minutes, and it just hit me that I'm fixing to buy myself a racehorse and turn the negativity of a divorce into the positivity of winning some races, and I just thought that would be so fun to do.
I had zero knowledge about horses, never been to a race, never thought about a race. Probably the only races I have watched were the three races of the Triple Crown. I always enjoyed watching those. I started googling, and the next spring, I was at OBS buying some Thoroughbreds.
The very first horse I bought, Hero Force, won on Louisiana Champions day (2012 Louisiana Champions Day Juvenile Stakes), and he took us on a great run of several races. And, then we were just hooked, the family, we love the vacations of going around to the races, and now it's just a wonderful family thing that we really enjoy.
BH: What is your relationship like with trainer Lonnie Briley?
RN: We're trainer and owner, but nobody can be nicer to me and my family than what Lonnie has done to make racing so enjoyable for us. He's always nice, he always takes the time to answer our questions. Lonnie has a lot of knowledge, and he's really tried to help us along in the horse business. There is no one better than Lonnie, he is the ideal trainer. I almost don't even consider him a trainer, he's just a great friend. We have a wonderful relationship.
BH: There has been great interest in Coal Battle; is selling him something you'd ever consider?
RN: I got a big offer this morning. What I've told Lonnie, and what I've said to myself since the Springboard Mile, the calls have been coming, I just try to be nice to everyone, I take their number down, and save it if we ever decide to go that route. But, as of now we are not going to sell.
