Younger Romans never shook racing bug; wintering at Oaklawn
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There’s a Romans roaming the backside at Oaklawn Park, but it’s not the nationally prominent trainer. Rather, it’s his son, Jake, the agent for jockeys Joe Talamo and Channing Hill.
The 24-year-old Romans has been booking mounts for almost two years after working at a restaurant in his hometown of Louisville, Ky., knowing all along that "I wanted to be in the game at some point in some facet, but I really didn’t know what,” Romans said during training hours earlier this week.
“And my dad always tried to push me away. He didn’t want me to get involved. I actually went to culinary school, so I have a background in that. I started working in the restaurant business and I realized I did not like that at all.”
Romans then reversed his career course and said he began helping around his father’s barn when he was 20 before he had a chance to take Hill’s book at the 2018 Keeneland spring meet.
“It’s worked out pretty well,” Romans said. “We’ve had some fairly good success over the last couple of years.”
Romans is based at Oaklawn for the first time in 2020 after representing Robby Albarado last winter in Florida (Scott Hare previously had Hill’s book in Hot Springs).
Romans said he began shopping for a second rider after Peruvian star Martin Chuan became homesick following a stint on the Kentucky circuit last year. That search led Romans to Talamo, an Eclipse Award winner as the country’s top apprentice in 2007, a Breeders’ Cup winner in 2009 and a stalwart on the ultra-tough Southern California circuit.
“I was coming down with Channing and looking for another rider,” Romans said. “(Trainer) Brad Cox helped me out a lot. He had a big part in getting me the job. A lot of people helped me, actually. I worked on it for about a month and eventually Joe gave me the OK. Here we are.”
After riding Sunday at Santa Anita, Talamo arrived in Hot Springs Monday, Romans said, was making the rounds on the backside by Tuesday morning.
“I’m excited about it,” Romans said. “It’s a good opportunity.”
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