Ron Moquett with his Kentucky Derby entrant Far Right. (Photo courtesy of Julie June Stewart)

It is always thrilling when a longshot comes in and wins a big race. It is even more exciting when it happens at the Kentucky Derby. That is why people dream. Who could have imagined that an orphan from Pocola, Okla. would fight his way from obscurity into the world’s most recognized race – the 141^st running of the Kentucky Derby – and with a $2,500 horse?

When his mother died in a tragic car accident, Ron Moquett (who was only four years old at the time) and his siblings went into an orphanage; they were placed in foster homes and finally were raised by his grandparents. It wasn’t easy. His first memory of horses came at livestock auctions, where cattle, sheep, chickens and Shetland ponies could be found and the family would purchase horses and ponies.

“I would keep them and fix them up until you could ride them and then I would sell them,” Moquett said. The pony pictured below was purchased for $30, and Moquett sold it eight months later for $650. We joked that he was probably the youngest known pinhooker!

MOQUETT AND HIS FIRST PINHOOK

Photo courtesy of Ron Moquett

Moquett grew up going to local tracks, and at that point he fell in love with the competitive side of horse racing. He loved what it felt like to have interest in a horse that was racing. He started on his own and was running horses for other people when he was a kid. It seemed natural that he started off with Quarter-Horses and then later moved to Thoroughbreds. 

Trainer Bernie Flint opened the first door and let him walk hots, which means walking recently exercised horses to cool them down. He worked in Flint’s barn and moved up from a hot walker to foreman before going out on his own in 1996. Moquett admitted that he cut classes while he was at the University of Arkansas to go to the races. It seems that even back then, he knew his destiny. There was a brief bout with boxing. There was some time spent in college with the thought of studying architecture or engineering. But the lure of horse racing for this country boy was too strong. 

He started training at Blue Ribbon Downs in Oklahoma. He vividly remembers his first win, with an Appaloosa named Sparkling Bull. He was offered the horse and a goat for $900 and told them he didn’t want the goat. They counter-offered $300 for the horse only. The horse had run nine times and had never been in the top four, but the Appaloosa was third in his first race for Moquett, second in his second start and victorious in his third race.  

Moquett then met Jim Meyers who owned and raced Thoroughbreds. Meyers liked the way Ron worked and he wanted him to work privately for him.

“I knew it would be hard and that I was working for a man that had already thrown down the majority of his trainers,” Moquett said. “He demanded success at a high rate. But he was also kind and supportive to me. It was because we did well for him.”

Fate and hard work both had a hand in Moquett’s success.

“Here was a young man not from Kentucky or Florida.” Moquett said of his early career with a smile. “[Meyers] saw something in him and was willing to give him a shot. He liked the way I was around horses.”

It hasn’t always been easy. Moquett has sparred with adversity along the way. In 2005 alone, there was a nightmarish barn fire at Blue Ribbon Downs with devastating injuries to 16 of his horses. Then a van overturned en route to Keeneland, carrying six of his 2-year-olds. When he moved to Ellis Park that year, there was a quarantine due to the equine disease strangles. Moquett dug deep and found the ability to keep going. The ability to take care of not only the horses in his charge, but the people working for him and his growing family.

But then there are the good times. I asked him which of his wins brought him joy. He said that he was so proud of Gentlemen’s Bet who came off a 14-month layoff to win the $100,000 Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn Park. He was also very proud of the mare Asher who won the Grade 3 Gardenia Handicap at Ellis Park, the Diamond Trail Stakes at Prairie Meadows and the Pippin Stakes at Oaklawn Park after competing in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies as a 2-year-old. She ended up with seven wins, three seconds and five thirds for earnings of $392,243. The mare was especially gratifying for Moquett as others had little faith in her ability. 

There have been other great successes and other great horses, and now there is Far Right, a $2,500 yearling purchase who later sold privately to his current owners, running in the 141^st Kentucky Derby. Moquett knew he had a Derby horse after the three-eighths pole of the Delta Downs Jackpot Stakes in November. The race was won by fellow Derby entrant Ocho Ocho Ocho, but Far Right had a very troubled trip. The ridgling was checked sharply just as he began his run on the turn for home but recovered to finish third in a game effort.

FAR RIGHT WINS THE SOUTHWEST STAKES

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire

After that Moquett knew he had a Derby horse, and Far Right proceeded to win two stakes races at Oaklawn Park as a 3-year-old, the Smarty Jones Stakes and the Southwest Stakes, both with his strong late run. He finished second to American Pharoah in the Arkansas Derby in a race which jockey Mike Smith used Far Right just enough to grab second-place honors when American Pharoah ran off in a dazzling display of speed.  

Moquett’s office shows his life philosophy. There is a poster behind his desk that reads “Horses First! The Rest Later!” His loving tabby cat, L.J., walks across his desk to explore an unrecognized purse before she cozies up in her own cat tree. “L.J.” is short for Lucky Junior after his beloved former barn cat of 20 years, Lucky. One can tell the measure of a man by the health of his animals, and L.J’s healthy coat, bright eyes and happy attitude show that she is indeed a very lucky cat that belongs to a man who appreciates his career working with horses. 

“A lot of people in this game don’t realize how fortunate they are,” Moquett said. “First off, you are dealing with the world’s best animal. They are noble, they are strong. They have character. And they trust us with their lives. So you are dealing with the best animals that God created, in my mind. It’s not a job for me. This was a career path that I wanted to do. So I was so happy to be able to do it. And you know, I feel like I win every day because of these magnificent animals.” 

Recently Moquett noticed a little girl standing outside his barn while he was being interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, nearly invisible near the fence. When he saw her he was reminded of himself at livestock auctions as a little boy, watching longingly from afar. He stepped away from the interview and asked the girl if she wanted a picture with a horse. He then brought her into the barn and let her take a photo with Far Right.  The moment of joy was captured and posted on Facebook. Moquett smiled as he said, “Now she will be a fan the rest of her life.”

MOQUETT, FAR RIGHT AND ADDISON MESSER

Photo courtesy of Katie Smith

Although Moquett acknowledges he isn’t perfect, he is loyal to his horses and his people. “Here’s what I do,” Moquett said. “Anybody that knows me knows that I have a lot of bad parts. I am regimented. I am militant. I am a perfectionist. But when you look at it, I am for the horse and the human.”

Moquett’s average employee has been with him for more than 10 years. He has three children; two of whom are currently in college, with one graduating on May 9. He is proud of his family and his legacy.

“I am never going to be the popular guy," Moquett said. “I am never going to be the one they want to interview because they know for a fact that I don’t care. But I will go out of my way to help a little girl who wants a picture with a horse. I will go out of my way to find a home for a horse that is no longer needed. And that is what my legacy will be. At the end of it; if we win five Derbys, I want them to say that here’s a guy who did his best to promote the sport in a positive way. He got the most out of every individual horse whether it’s a $5,000 maiden or a $500,000 Grade 1. And he did it the right way by taking care of the people he works for and the horses he has in his care. And that will happen."

His confidence is contagious.

Whenever life threw him a curve ball, Moquett has managed to land on his feet. All the roads in his life led him to the Kentucky Derby with a horse that he believes in.

“To be at the Derby and to be a lover of my sport and a fan of the game is remarkable, with the world’s best 3-year-olds running. It’s remarkable when one realizes that out of something like 26,000 [foals] we are in the top 20.”  

He sat at his desk handling multiple phone calls, messages, visitors and situations with complete calm and assurance. What an amazing journey he has made from a little boy who was hanging around the livestock auctions in Pocola, Okla. to the run for the roses. He knows this and is thankful.

“We are here because we found a horse that no one believed in,” Moquett said. “We gave him a shot to prove how magnificent he is, and that is what I think someone did for me.”  

The next time you see a small child at the track, take another look. You never know if you might be looking at a future trainer. It’s a great world when little kids’ dreams can come true.