logo
Google Play App Store
Login Subscribe
  • News
  • Sports
  • Lifestyle
    • Just Folks
  • Columns & Opinions
    • Letters To The Editor
    • Editorials
    • Columnists
  • Obituaries
  • Business
  • Classifieds
  • Calendar
  • Videos
  • Forms
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • advertisers pay now
  • Photos
  • Archives
  • E-Edition
    • News
    • Sports
    • Lifestyle
      • Just Folks
    • Columns & Opinions
      • Letters To The Editor
      • Editorials
      • Columnists
    • Obituaries
    • Business
    • Classifieds
    • Calendar
    • Videos
    • Forms
    • Contact
      • Contact Us
      • advertisers pay now
    • Photos
    • Archives
    • E-Edition
A: Main
February 23, 2023
CLASS OF '23
Hall of fame is final hurrah for historic Blue Ribbon Downs
By Lynn Adams Staff Writer

Historic Blue Ribbon Downs — once the first, last and only words in the Oklahoma horse racing lexicon — will be enshrined in the Oklahoma Quarter Horse Hall of Fame at 6 p.m. March 4 at the Grand Casino in Shawnee.

“Blue Ribbon Downs was the king, was the king,” says legendary trainer Rex Brooks, who was a fixture at the venerable racetrack from the early 1960s until it closed in 2009 and will also be inducted into the OQHA Hall of Fame.

“This was the training grounds or the proving grounds for racehorses,” Brooks says of BRD. “We’ve had the best horses in the world run here — Easy Jet, was probably the greatest horse to run here. So many superhorses run here, got their start here.

“Blue Ribbon Downs was the first pari-mutuel in Oklahoma. As many as 20,000 people would show up a day for the Blue Ribbon Futurity or the Heritage Futurity. It was the greatest thing, at that time. It was THE racetrack.

“People bring their best horses and best trainers. They’d come in from everywhere — Texas, California, Kansas, Arkansas — bring their best horses and stable there,” Brooks recalls. “I won the Hopes and Dreams Futurity, and the winner got a large amount of mon- ey. The Heritage was the biggest for the rural people to come in. I had the only horse to win the futurity as a 2-year-old and derby as a 3-year-old — Barbs Bounce. You’ve got your toughest competitors of all time in those races, and very few win two.”

What has been called the sport of kings, got its start when Bill Hedge bought 102 acres in 1960 just west of Sallisaw. The track soon became known as a proving ground, and gained recognition from the American Quarter Horse Association in 1963.

FILE PHOTO
The grandstands, the most prominent feature of Blue Ribbon Downs, was demolished in June 2022; only the track and barns remain as a training facility.

Brooks recalls BRD as a match racetrack in 196263, then home to non-parimutuel racing in 1965-84.

In 1982, Oklahoma voters approved pari-mutuel betting, and the first pari-mutuel race at Blue Ribbon Downs occurred Aug. 30, 1984, before 12,000 spectators in sweltering temperatures of more than 100 degrees. In its heyday, BRD was the economic engine that drove Sequoyah County. The advent of legal gambling at the track created a local construction boom with motels, restaurants, and other businesses locating near the track. Virtually every retail business was buoyed by the prosperity BRD attracted.

But BRD did not have a corner on the horse racing market. By 1988, the ballyhooed Remington Park opened in Oklahoma City, and quickly became the preferred destination.

After years of waning attendance and struggling financially with several owners, BRD filed for bankruptcy in 1997 and again in 2002.

BRD was subsequently owned by the Choctaw Nation and then the Cherokee Nation, and the facility was converted to a “racino,” a combination horse racetrack and casino. But the track continued to struggle, and closed permanently after its races on Nov. 28, 2009.

Virtually abandoned since the track closed, the deteriorating grandstands were demolished in June 2022; only the track and barns remain as a training facility.

“Blue Ribbon was never what you call a fast racetrack,:” Brooks says. “I run a lotta horses, set several track records, but track records are like anythin’ else, they’re made to be broken.”

Sallisaw water is safe to drink
News
BREAKING NEWS
Sallisaw water is safe to drink
September 25, 2023
If you’ve turned on your faucet and noticed the water is a bit discolored, Sallisaw city officials say don’t worry — “our water is safe for consumption.” The city is having issues with Manganese in it...
this is a test
Human trafficking isn’t limited to urban areas or foreign countries
A: Main
IN PLAIN SIGHT
Human trafficking isn’t limited to urban areas or foreign countries
By JACOB BOWLING STAFF WRITER 
September 21, 2023
Sequoyah County, renowned for its rich history and warm hospitality as the ‘eastern gateway to Oklahoma,’ confronts a troubling reality - human sex trafficking. This atrocious crime, a heart-wrenching...
this is a test
Local couple leave children at splash pad
A: Main, Main...
Local couple leave children at splash pad
Duo now facing child neglect charges
By Amie Cato-Remer Editor 
September 21, 2023
Two local residents are each facing a felony charge of child neglect after they reportedly left their two children at a local splash pad, and allegedly asked another individual to watch them while “th...
this is a test
Muldrow High School’s Homecoming held
A: Main, Main...
Muldrow High School’s Homecoming held
September 21, 2023
Ashley Price was crowned Muldrow High School’s Homecoming Queen on Sept. 15 at Marty Rogers Field. Members of the homecoming court were (front, from left) Adalynn Bullock, Blaz Hill, KyLynn Miller, Ke...
this is a test
Muldrow woman charged for exploitation of elderly, disabled adult
A: Main, Main...
Muldrow woman charged for exploitation of elderly, disabled adult
By Amie Cato-Remer Editor 
September 21, 2023
A Muldrow woman is facing felony charges of exploitation of an elderly person or disabled adult and financial exploitation by caretaker after she reportedly used money from the victim’s bank account w...
this is a test
Kim Wilson
A: Main, Just Folks...
JUST FOLKS
Kim Wilson
By LYNN MCCULLEY EDITOR 
September 21, 2023
Saturday will be a busy time for Kim Wilson and all the other people who attend Church of Christ in Sallisaw. Wilson is one of the key organizers of the annual giveaway which will be held from 8 to 11...
this is a test


ePaper
coogle_play
app_store
Google Play App Store

Editor Picks
Not really chocolate
Lifestyle
A FEW OF MY FAVORITE THINGS
Not really chocolate
By A Few of My Favorite Things Katina Holland Special to Your TIMES 
September 21, 2023
Friday, Sept. 22, is National White Chocolate Day! White chocolate is made from cocoa butter, sugar and milk solids. It contains no cacao solids or liquor therefore it is actually not chocolate at all...
this is a test
ORU falls to Atlantic-10 Conference favorite Saint Louis
Newsletter, Sports
ORU SOCCER
ORU falls to Atlantic-10 Conference favorite Saint Louis
By ORU MEDIA RELATIONS 
September 21, 2023
ST. LOUIS — The No. 26 Oral Roberts University men’s soccer team fell 1-0 in the final minutes at Atlantic-10 Conference preseason favorite Saint Louis on Tuesday evening. Defense was key in the game ...
this is a test
Lady Razorbacks announces 2024 SEC portion of schedule
Sports
UA SOFTBALL
Lady Razorbacks announces 2024 SEC portion of schedule
By GRACE TAFOLLA ARKANSASRAZORBACKS.COM 
September 21, 2023
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas softball has announced its 24-game Southeastern Conference schedule for 2024, which features four home series at Bogle Park. Arkansas, who has won two of the last three S...
this is a test
Tulsa announces 2023-24 non-conference schedule
Sports
TU BASKETBALL
Tulsa announces 2023-24 non-conference schedule
By DON TOMKALSKI TULSA MEDIA RELATIONS 
September 21, 2023
TULSA –– The University of Tulsa women’s basketball team plays one of the most challenging non-conference schedules in school history in 2023-24 with a 13-game non-conference slate, including five pos...
this is a test
ORU women blank Tarleton State
Sports
ORU SOCCER
ORU women blank Tarleton State
By ORU MEDIA RELATIONS 
September 21, 2023
TULSA — The Oral Roberts University women’s soccer team dominated their way to a 4-0 victory against Tarleton State on Sept. 14 at the Case Soccer Complex. Senior Riley Baldwin started the game out wi...
this is a test
Facebook

SEQUOYAH COUNTY TIMES
111 N. Oak
Sallisaw OK
74955

918.775.4433

This site complies with ADA requirements

© 2022 Sequoyah County Times

  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility Policy