Would Romans have continued with the sport if he hadn’t found this kind of success?
“It depends what you consider success. I never considered being as successful as my stable’s become, but I always thought I could make a living doing something on the racetrack. I thought I could be successful enough to make a living. Whatever you do there’s risk and reward involved.”
The resume Romans has amassed is missing his most desired accomplishment—a victory in the Kentucky Derby. Romans has had three Derby entries that have included Sharp Humor who finished 19th in 2006, Paddy O’Prado who finished 3rd in 2010, and Shackleford who finished fourth this year.
“We’ve won one Breeders’ Cup, one Dubai World Cup, but none of them would equal what a Derby win would be. It’s more special being from Louisville maybe, a little more special, but that’s for anyone who’s in horse racing. That’s not just me. I think I speak for just about everybody that’s in the game that the Kentucky Derby is the race that you want to win. They all pale in comparison to the Kentucky Derby and it doesn’t matter where you go in the country, in the world, everyone knows the Kentucky Derby.”
As of late, Romans has been under a constant media spotlight. Many articles have been written and many interviews have been conducted. However, one thing Romans has not been able to relay to the public is his sincere appreciation for their support following his Preakness win.
“I think how much I appreciate everybody. How much I appreciate everybody’s well wishes, I guess, and how much, and how many people were actually happy and excited for our stable. That was one of the biggest parts. That was one of the nicest things about winning the race. I mean, the 300 texts I got afterwards and the calls. And even though I couldn’t answer all of them or return all of the calls, I tried to return all the texts and say how much I appreciated them.”
At the end of the day, Romans is just another hard-working guy from Shively who has stuck with his passion and persevered in a line of work that rewards few in the ways it has rewarded Romans. It’s not hard to support a guy like that. So, while race fans are watching and cheering on their horse in the Belmont Stakes this weekend, Louisville will be watching and cheering on its own, Dale Romans.
Photo: Courtesy Dale Romans Racing
