Racing At The Track

NESHOBA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) -Deep roots of history are planted into the Neshoba County Fair, and one of those historic roots is racing.

Over 100 years ago, a tradition was built. The half mile, red clay race track laid the future for the Neshoba County Fair Horse Races. Hundreds of racers and horses from across the region turn laps on the track, but not before putting endless hours into training.

“You just got to work with them every day in order for you to know them. If you don’t work with them every day, he ain’t, you ain’t going to get nothing out of them,” says racer, Steven Holmes.

Driver Kevin Cane is a former Fire Lt. at the Starkville Fire Department. He says his fire fighting experiences tie in to being a racer.

“Any type of racing you get that competitive, you know, firemen and police officers, you know because we got that, I want to go mentality, you know, I want to save the world, and horse racing is about the same. You want to win every race.”

Cane and his horse, Best Of The Best, compete in races all over, including ones with winners taking home big bucks, but when the Neshoba County Fair Races roll around, it’s not about that winning payout.

“One thing about life, no matter what you get into, ain’t nothing like home. You always want to come back home, and contribute it to home because you got the younger ones that are looking up to you, so you want to be a kind of like a role model for them,” says Cane.

Racer Steven Holmes has been racing for two decades, and doesn’t have plans to stop anytime soon.

“The fans and the horse. Get the fans and the horse here, and make some money, and have fun. Be my own boss.”

The passion, the drive, and the love for horses is why the Neshoba County Fair Horse Races will keep running for many miles down the road.