Native Artist Enoch Kelly Haney Helps Remington Park Celebrate 25 Years

Enoch Kelly Haney is a man of many hats. Seminole born and native proud, he’s served as principal chief of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, a member of Oklahoma Legislature, and as a candidate for office of the Governor of Oklahoma.

But in addition to a successful career as a politician, Haney is also an internationally-recognized artist who has made a career exhibiting a wide range of abilities from oil and pastel to sculpture. Haney’s recognition as a native artist extends well beyond the United States and into the UK, Asia, and even as far as Australia, as well as many other places throughout the world. He’s received the title of Master Artist of the Five Civilized Tribes, and soon became the highly esteemed creator of the 22-foot bronze sculpture, entitled “The Guardian”, that was chosen to sit atop the Oklahoma State Capitol Dome.  

So when Remington Park asked for his help to commemorate our 25^th anniversary, it was no small occasion for him to oblige.

After months of hard work and careful planning, Remington Park became home to a beautiful Enoch Kelly Haney original statue, entitled “Chickasaw Horse and Rider”.

Mr. Haney said in our interview about the conception and execution of the sculpture:

“There is, in fact, a Chickasaw horse. It’s a Spanish-bred horse that was brought over from Florida. The person shown riding the horse here is wearing clothing of probably the latter 1700’s, or early 1800’s. I used a Chickasaw model - he’s a friend of mine, Coronel Ray Brown. Who is also, in my opinion, a warrior. He was a helicopter pilot in the Vietnam war.”

He goes on to say,

“Much of the work that I’ve done for the Chickasaws required research, so I’ve already got a few years of research to go with. The hairstyles, as well as the earrings which appear to be like golf tee’s. Most tribes gave out feathers like the ones shown here as a kind of Medal of Honor. Working on the moccasins was very difficult and time consuming. I looked at the designs in the moccasins and tried to duplicate it to the best of my ability, which required me putting on beads one at a time.”

“I really like (this piece), it surprised even me! I reflect upon it like I did the 22 ft. bronze statue on top of the Oklahoma state capitol dome. It’s going to far outlive me. And when you take a small sculpture and enlarge it, you tend to see a lot of flaws in it. But in this case I think it went very well and I’m really pleased with it. I have never had a class in sculpting, and there’s something beautiful about that, in that if I can think it up in my head, I can make it happen!”

Remington Park would like to extend a sincere thank you to Enoch Kelly Haney for his beautiful work that he allows to grace our property every day. It’s a symbol of the power, beauty, and resilience of the sport of horse racing, as well as of great people of Oklahoma.

Remington Park is Oklahoma's #1 sporting entertainment destination. Unlike any other Casino in the area, we offer a unique blend of continually-updated casino games, live music, fine dining and both live and simulcast horse racing.
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