Romans Hoping for Another Big Weekend

After springing a mild upset in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks last Saturday with impressive maiden winner Go Maggie Go (Ghostzapper), trainer Dale Romans looks to repeat that success this weekend with GI Kentucky Derby hopefuls Brody's Cause (Giant's Causeway) and Cherry Wine (Paddy O'Prado).

Brody's Cause looks to make amends for a disappointing seventh as the favorite in the GII Tampa Bay Derby Mar. 12 in Saturday's GI Toyota Blue Grass S. at Keeneland. The Albaugh Family Stable runner drew post six Tuesday morning and was installed as the 4-1 second choice on the morning-line behind “TDN Rising Star” Zulu (Bernardini).

“Brody is training like a monster,” Romans said during an NTRA teleconference Tuesday afternoon after the draw. “I can't explain the Tampa race. He just didn't run well. He was training good going into it. I've never had a horse train good going into a race, run so poorly and come out and train better than he did going into it. Maybe he is just the type of horse that needs a race. First time out he ran terrible, he ran dead last, then came back and won two in a row and ran third in the Breeders' Cup.”

Romans added, “He looks like he's gotten stronger after the race, like the race did him some good. He worked Saturday as good as any horse could possibly work [covering five furlongs in :59 4/5 at Gulfstream].”

After a failed debut on the turf at Ellis Park last August, Brody's Cause surged late to earn his diploma when switched to the dirt at Churchill Downs Sept. 11. Following that with an impressive late run to capture Keeneland's GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity Oct. 3, the bay rallied strongly to complete the trifecta behind champion and recent GI Xpressbet.com Florida Derby hero Nyquist (Uncle Mo) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile in Lexington Oct. 31.

“[Choosing the Bluegrass] was pretty much a no brainer after finishing third in the Breeders' Cup and winning a Grade I over that surface,” Romans offered. “We decided to make that his last prep, regardless of what happened at Tampa. We wanted the Derby to be his third start off of a little layoff. We thought we would have a fresh horse all the way through the Triple Crown if we happened to be successful.”

Romans has been on the fence as to where Cherry Wine will run next, siting both the Blue Grass and Aqueduct's GI Wood Memorial S. Saturday as possibilities, but it looks like he will saddle two in the Blue Grass after the “TDN Rising Star” drew the three hole Tuesday. Corey Lanerie, who is the regular rider of both Romans sophomores, is scheduled to ride Cherry Wine Saturday and Luis Saez will pilot Brody's Cause.

“With the good post, I'm not sure that I'll enter [the Wood],” the conditioner commented. “But, I will certainly monitor the race and see how many they get and which horses are going to run in it. It's an important decision. We don't have enough points to get in with a fourth place finish in the [GII] Rebel. The points are in play, even though I don't think it's going to take that many this year.”

Romans continued, “The biggest problem with the Blue Grass is there is 14 horses and with a horse that comes from behind there is a lot of things that can go wrong. If it is a much shorter field up at Aqueduct then we might decide to change.”

Cherry Wine took some time to put it all together, graduating at fifth asking with a dominant 9 1/4-length success in the slop at Churchill Nov. 28. Equally impressive when romping by six lengths in a strong Gulfstream optional claimer Jan. 9, the gray came running late to be a solid fourth after encountering some traffic trouble from post 13 in Oaklawn's Mar. 19 Rebel.

“The Rebel was sneaky good,” Romans remarked. “Everybody should go back and watch it if you aren't confident enough in him and see how well he actually ran in a 14-horse field from the 13-hole. He got bumped around, split horses and galloped out strong.”

Romans has a long history with both Cherry Wine's family and his owners. He purchased and trained the colt's second dam Sweeping Story (End Sweep), who finished third behind Hall of Famer Silverbulletday (Silver Deputy) in the 1999 GI Kentucky Oaks, and trained Cherry Wine's dam C.S. Royce (Unbridled's Song), who was born and raised on Romans's farm.

“We paid quite a bit of money for [C.S. Royce] and she was a solid allowance horse,” recalled the Kentucky native, who purchased the mare for $180,000 as a yearling for William Pacella, Frank Shoop and Frank Jones, Jr. when Ron McKee sold her at Keeneland September in 2008. “We turned around and bred her on my farm to Paddy O'Prado, who I trained, and came up with Cherry Wine. He was raised in the backyard, so he's like my son almost.”

Romans also has a longstanding relationship with Jones, who has had all of his horses with both Romans and his father.

“He doesn't have any kids and my father died fairly young,” the 49-year-old said. “He's been a father to me my whole life. He's done so much for racing in Kentucky, if we can just get him to a Kentucky Derby it would be great. If we could get him in the winner's circle that would be enough. The rest of my career would just be a cherry on top. There is no one that deserves to go to the Derby more than Frank Jones.”

Romans and the Albaugh Family have one other possible Derby contender in Unbridled Outlaw (Unbridled's Song), who was a respectable second when facing older horses in an Oaklawn allowance Mar. 19. The dark bay, who was third with an impossible trip in the GIII Iroquois S. Sept. 12 and 12th in the Breeders' Cup, is currently pointing towards the GI Arkansas Derby Apr. 16.

“As long as he works well Saturday he will go on to the Arkansas Derby,” Romans offered. “That allowance race he ran the day of the Rebel, I think he ran a quarter of a point slower than the Rebel winner. If he comes back and improves at all, he will run big in the Arkansas Derby and maybe buy himself a ticket to the Kentucky Derby. He's a good horse.”