TEXARKANA MONTHLY
T he usual roar of the grandstands at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort, formerly Oaklawn Park Race Track in Hot Springs, Arkansas, dulled to a deafening silence due to COVID-19 protocols near the end of last year’s racing season. While fans could not watch and cheer on the animals in person, the horses still ran and trained at the Hot Springs mainstay. On Christmas of 2015, Kerry and Alan Ribble, owners of Ribble Farms, joined the fraternity of horse owners when Alan gifted Kerry a racehorse. For these two horse racing “junkies,” whose “whole calendar revolves around the race meets,” it was hard to be removed from their horses’ barn and Oaklawn during the ongoing pandemic. Kerry said, “We are so thankful that Oaklawn was able to keep the horses running even though we could not be at the track, but boy did we miss being a part of the racing action this past year.” Before COVID-19 blocked them from attending the races, Kerry and Alan used to go to the barn and give horses peppermints after their race. “I didn’t realize that I had missed handing out peppermints at the barn so much until we were finally back there.” What could have been seen as a spur- of-the-moment decision to trek into the horse racing world on that Christmas of 2015, was actually a natural and obvious next step to the progression of the Ribbles’ life story. It is a family passion passed down to Kerry by her father. Kerry’s dad has been involved in the horse business for over 40 years. Kerry said, “He has handicapped horses, published a tip sheet and held handicapping seminars throughout his years in the business.” She has always been near the sport by listening to her father through the years. One of Kerry and Alan’s first dates was also at the same Oaklawn Park where they now own and race horses. They even spent a day of their honeymoon attending races at Louisiana Downs, a racetrack in Bossier City, Louisiana.
Kerry Ribble with Goodbye Earl photo by Molly Kendrick
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SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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