HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Lonnie Briley, who will saddle millionaire Coal Battle in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, is not the only accomplished trainer in his family.
Ronald Briley, a cousin who died in 2020, was inducted into the Louisiana Quarter Horse Breeders Association’s Hall of Fame on April 12, according to a press release from the organization. The ceremony was at Lonnie Briley’s home track of Evangeline Downs in Opelousas, La.
“Ronald was older than me,” said Lonnie Briley, 72. “He was into the Quarter Horses. He trained Quarter Horses. He ran at Ruidoso, and all over, and ran in the All American. He was a good trainer.”
Ronald Briley – who won a combined 17 derbies and futurities – is known best for conditioning Go Vicki Meyers, who went 22 for 38 from the years of 1968-70, according to the release. She won 11 stakes and in 2017 was inducted into the LQHBA Hall. Ronald Briley, who trained for five decades, also was a mentor to champion Quarter Horse trainer Kenneth Roberts Sr.
Lonnie Briley said he and his cousin’s relatives came to Louisiana generations ago.
“It was like three brothers that came down on wagon trains from the Dakotas,” he said. “That’s kind of where the Brileys originated. Now, there’s a bunch. There’s a lot of us. When I was a kid, there wasn’t 12, 15 Brileys around [Louisiana]."
On Saturday, the whole extended family will be cheering for Coal Battle.
“We are incredibly proud of Lonnie, and of course, know that Daddy would be, too,” said Chris Briley, the son of Ronald Briley, in a release from the LQHBA.
Coal Battle won the Grade 2 Rebel and Smarty Jones this winter at Oaklawn Park, and also captured the Springboard Mile at Remington Park and the Jean Lafitte at Delta Downs.
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