Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Do you remember when they had horse races in Nephi! The oval track racers would fly by the stands in the Juab County arena. But iis it actually in Nephi?

As a kid growing up in Nephi, Utah during the 1950's and sixties, I recall the race track where the Ute Stampede Rodeo grounds are. I am not certain the attached photo is of a race at the fairgrounds, so hopefully somebody can fill me in and then I can give it to the appropriate agency in Juab County. The photo was recently found in a forty years in hiding box containing a variety of Juab County residents related to my family. I am quite sure none of the riders was 4 foot eleven inch Willie Shoemaker, as the first jockey appears to be sitting high in the saddle, and may even be wearing a nice hat; white shirt and tie. Perhaps he was just on his way to church and accidently got caught up in the race, being late for Priesthood meeting.




1 comment:

  1. I have read about the horse races in Juab County dating back to the 1890s. My 3rd great grandfather was the first to bring race horses to Utah. His name is Elmer Taylor. His son James Elmer Taylor was said to be a "much in demand" jockey.
    I'm not sure if the Nephi track is the one I've read about, but there was said to be a mile long track East of Juab. I've been trying to find information on whether there was a town called Juab, or if this was Nephi, or what. My family was settlers from Levan.
    Please let me know if you find any other information on this subject. I'm not sure I'll make it back by your page, so you can email me at scottmaui@yahoo.com
    Thanks! And happy researching!

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