Horse Trainer Hopes to Bring Home Win 1,001 at Oklahoma Derby

By Charles Bassett, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Horse racing fans from across the country are making their way to Oklahoma City for this year's Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park sponsored by NEWS 9, and one trainer is hoping one of his horses will bring home the big win.

Just before sunrise, the Remington Park race track is teaming with horses getting in some early morning training.

Burnell Rhone said training is key to getting a good racing horse. Rhone's been training horses since the late 1970s and said he gave up a career as a school teacher and counselor to teach horses.

"This is a conditioning. You're working with lungs. You're working with conditioning an animal, their muscle tone and everything, so that's the same. Also with my school counseling, it hasn't hurt me any dealing with owners," Rhone said.

At age 60, Rhone just crossed a racing milestone; one of his horses just gave him win number 1,000.

"It's one of those marks where it's kind of like a running back running for 1,000 yards in a season. People do it but not many of them do it," Rhone said.

Now he's going for win number 1,001 with his hopes cast on Perfect Bull. He'll be on the track in Sunday's Oklahoma Derby. The horse will be ridden by jockey Dean Butler.

"He's doing good right now. He's on his game, and I'm going to try, like I said, try to run the best race I can and put him in the right position to give him an opportunity to win," Butler said.

And they're hoping the strength of family will help them do well in the race. Rhone's son shoes horses and his wife helps manage the business. Rhone's daughter, LeAnn, is an assistant trainer and is the wife of Perfect Bull' jockey, Dean Butler.

"This family here, I mean the whole family, they are hard workers. They've done this for a lot of years, and from the bottom up, I'm very lucky to be involved with them," Butler said.

As for Rhone, he can't say if he'll see a 2,000th win but said he's hopeful.

"I think I'll stay in horse racing for as long as I'm physically able," Rhone said.