Kentucky Derby horse, Barber Road, has ties to Lenoir County

Former Lenoir County resident Tammy Simon joined the Bryan Hanks show to talk about her horse, named Barber Road, and his journey to the Kentucky Derby. Barber Road is named after a road in Lenoir County that Simon grew up on.

Simon got into horse racing through friends. “We had some good friends there who were in the horse racing business. They asked us to go with them to a sale and a couple of races so we bought like 10% of a horse, and we were hooked.”

Simon grew up on a farm in Seven Springs and graduated from North Lenoir High School. She met her husband, former Walmart CEO William ‘Bill’ Simon in Charleston, South Carolina, when he was in the Navy and she was a nurse.

Simon shared her excitement with Hanks. “It is just unreal,” said Simon. “I am still pinching myself. Still trying to figure out how we got here. I do know that was God.”

The odds for Barber Road as reported by VegasInsider.com have the horse at 30-1 odds.

“We’ve seen things in him,” said Simon. “This horse does not quit. He has heart. He grinds through. He finds a hole.”

When Simon and her husband, Bill Simon, started working with Barber Road, they had the Belmont Race in mind. If Barber Road does well in the Kentucky Derby, Simon will look toward Preakness and Belmont races.

“He continues to fight,” said Simon. “We’ve just not had enough time or distance to get to the front. The Kentucky Derby is longer. We think maybe we can get there.”