Thomasville businessman hopes his horse Coal Battle takes home the win at Kentucky Derby

A Thomasville businessman is hoping his racehorse will bring home the roses at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.

If Ronnie Norman’s horse Coal Battle wins, it would be the first win for an Alabama-owned horse since 1945.

“I want to thank all the people in Alabama who are supporting Coal Battle,” said Norman, who owns Super Foods in Thomasville and eight Food Outlets in the Black Belt. “It’s great to know that the state is behind him.”

Coal Battle has gained a lot of experience, winning races in Louisiana and Arkansas to earn a spot at the Derby. 

And this is in Norman’s 13^th year of owning racehorses.

Norman said he had no real interest in horses and had never even been to a horse race until he was looking for a new hobby and saw the documentary about Union Rags, the 2012 winner of the Belmont Stakes.

“I had zero experience, but I was searching for a hobby and didn’t like to hunt or fish,” he said. He even tried golf. 

“I really enjoyed the documentary,” Norman said. “So I decided to buy a racehorse.” 

Now he has 20 horses in training with two trainers in Louisiana and they primarily race in Louisiana, Texas and Oklahoma.

Norman found Cole Battle through one of his trainers, Lonnie Briley, who noticed the horse at the 2023 Texas Thoroughbred Yearling Sale. Norman won the horse in the auction and training began. After training for a few months, it was time for his first race.

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Like they do with most of their horses, “We started him out at a small track in Louisiana called Evangeline Downs, and he won his first race.” Norman explained, “in November, we put him in a stakes race at a track in Louisiana called Delta Downs, and he won that.”

To enter the Kentucky Derby, a horse has to earn 50 points by winning other races. After that second race Norman said they entered Coal Battle in the Remington Springboard Mile in Oklahoma, which awarded the winner 10 points toward the Kentucky Derby.

Coal Battle won in Oklahoma and got the 10 points. In January, he won the Smarty Jones in Hot Springs, Arkansas, which awarded another 10 points. After that win, “We said we’ve got to put this horse in the right races, because the points totals go up the closer you get to the Kentucky Derby,” Norman said.

In February, Coal Battle ran in the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs Arkansas, and he won. That win was worth 50 points and with his total of 70, Coal Battle was now eligible to run for the roses. “In that race he beat out three of four of the horses running in the Derby Saturday,” Norman said.

There was one other race, the Arkansas Derby, in which Coal Battle placed third, however “the two horses that beat him, he had beaten in the previous race,” Norman explained. 

Norman said in his eight races, Coal Battle “has raced against a lot of good horses. He’s gotten a lot of experience.” He added, “I want to thank all the people in Alabama who are supporting Coal Battle. It’s great to know that the state is behind him.”

Thomasville Mayor Sheldon Day said he was excited to have a Thomasville business owner with a horse in the Kentucky Derby. “It’s a first time for us. If you think about it, there’s very few communities in America that can say one of their business owners has an entrant in the Kentucky Derby.”

Coal Battle’s Jockey will be Juan Vargas who in 4,392 starts has over 551 career wins, 590 seconds and 614 thirds. His career earnings are $12,199,028. Morning line odds on Coal Battle are 30-1.

The only other time Alabama boasted a Kentucky Derby winner was in 1945 when Fred Hooper of Montgomery won with Hoop Jr. You can watch the Kentucky Derby on NBC and Peacock. Post is at 5:57 p.m.