Trainer Dale Romans, who suffered a pulled muscle in his ribcage in a car accident that sent three of the passengers to the hospital, told officials from the Churchill Downs press office that he is feeling “much better” six days removed from the incident.
“[Friday] was the first day that I started feeling better,” he explained. “I'm still sore on my ribs and on my back. I think the medication is finally starting to kick in so I'm starting to feel a lot better.”
He continued, “We missed our first Sunday that I can remember of driving around the infield and just looking at and checking out all the garbage from Derby Day. But it was a good time to sit back and relax. The best thing, even though I wasn't able to answer everybody, were all the well wishes that I got the following day. That makes me feel appreciated. There was no way I could have answered everybody but it was great to hear from people. I heard from so many of my peers, like Bob Baffert and Doug O'Neill. Baffert texted me right after he got off the plane.”
John Hennegan, director of the documentary “The First Saturday in May,” suffered from broken ribs; Kurt Paseka, a former contributor to the Thoroughbred Times, suffered a fractured pelvis while Paseka's sister, Kyle, suffered a fractured vertebrae. The other two passengers, Jim Sugrue and Christina Lopez, were not seriously injured.
Romans will saddle “TDN Rising Star” Cherry Wine (Paddy O'Prado) in next Saturday's GI Preakness S., while stable companion Brody's Cause (Giant's Causeway), seventh in the Derby, will await the GI Belmont S. June 11.
“We didn't win the Derby so we aren't going for a Triple Crown,” Romans said. “We'll give him [Brody's Cause] a freshener for five weeks. He's bred to go the distance so we think that we have a chance.”
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