8/5/06

FOR RELEASE: IMMEDIATE
CONTACT: TAMARA CRONIN
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
304-387-8335 (OFFICE) 304-479-8097 (CELL)

CHESTER, WV — ROMANS SEES BRILLIANT FUTURE FOR BRIGHT ONE by Bill Mooney

There is no denying Dale Romans' status as standard setter at Churchill Downs. At Churchill's recently concluded spring/summer meeting, Romans won 43 races, an all-time record at the historic Louisville track for a trainer. It was also Romans' sixth title at Churchill's spring/summer session in the last seven years.

Two of those victories came courtesy of a lightly-raced 3-year-old colt named Bright One. And this coming Sunday, August 6, Bright One will display his talents at a track other than Churchill for the first time, when he runs in the Grade 3, $750,000 West Virginia Derby at The Mountaineer Casino Racetrack and Resort.

Romans, who will turn 40 on August 40, is a trainer of growing national and international stature. In 2004, he won the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational and Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes with Kitten's Joy, who at season's end received the Eclipse Award as North America's champion male runner on the grass.

And in 2005, Romans sent forth Roses in May to win the world's richest horse race, the $5-million Dubai World Cup, at Nad al Sheba Racecourse in the United Arab Emirates. Romans has been telling people that Bright One has the ability to become the next star of his stable. The colt will have the opportunity to take a major step in that direction on Sunday.

"Bright One's really a good horse," said Romans. "He's probably the most talented horse I've had. He's up there with Kitten's Joy and Roses in May. He has a lot to accomplish to get up to their level, but I think he's capable of doing it."

A homebred owned by Carolyn Sue Bruder and Delmar Daubs, Bright One didn't make his initial career start until May 27 of this year, when he finished a fast-closing second in maiden company.

But, in his next outing, on June 17, Bright One was in command pretty much throughout the race, annihilating a field of maidens by a 9 ½ lengths. His final time for the one-mile distance was a blazing 1:33.91.

On July 15, Bright One won the $70,700 Forestry Handicap by a widening 7 ¼ lengths, completing his one-mile tour in a time of 1:35.57. So, in his short career to date, Bright Try has made three starts (again, all of them at Churchill), has won twice, finished second on the other occasion and earned $85,554.

In the 1 1/8-mile West Virginia Derby, Bright Try will have to stretch out a furlong further than he has ever had to race before. But his running style - which involves stalking the pace, then making a powerful move to the lead - suggests he may easily do this.

Romans was born in Louisville. His late father, Jerry, was a trainer on the Kentucky circuit for 35 years. "I worked on the backside with him from the time I could walk," Romans said. "Training thoroughbreds was about all I ever wanted to do."

In 1986, Romans journeyed to Hialeah in South Florida, and spent four months as an assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Woody Stephens. He became particularly impressed by Stephens' attention to detail. "Nothing was takes for granted," Romans said. "Working with Woody helped me immensely."

On February 15, 1987, Romans registered his first victory as a trainer, with a filly named Miss Minday at Turfway Park in northern Kentucky. He had purchased Miss Minday for $1,500. She registered three consecutive wins for Romans, before he lost her in a claiming race.

Romans became a leading trainer at Turfway, and subsequently on the whole of the Kentucky circuit, which further includes Keeneland (where he was the leading conditioner during the fall meets in 2001-'02), Ellis Park and Kentucky Downs. Among his major clients are Ken and Sarah Ramsey, who owned both Kitten's Joy and Roses in May.

In 2005, horses trained by Romans earned purses in excess of $8 million, which put him eighth among all North American trainers in that category. This past June 11, at Churchill, Romans registered his 1,000th career victory, with a horse named Haiaccept. The cumulative career earnings of the runners he has sent postward over the years now total in excess of $40.5 million.

"I never would have expected to get to this point in my career," said Romans. "When I started out with my dad we didn't have that many horses, and most of them were cheap. All we worried about was making a living, but it has gone way beyond that."

Churchill also has an annual fall meeting, and Romans was the leading trainer at that session in both 2003 and 2005, as well. He now has a grand total of 379 career victories at Churchill. Only Hall of Famers Bill Mott ( with 565) and D. Wayne Lukas ( with 423), and Bernie Flint ( with 382) have more.

At Churchill, Romans is stabled in barn number 4, the same one that his father used for many years. He takes strings to Gulfstream Park in South Florida during the winter, and to Saratoga in upstate New York during the mid-summer, and at any given time will have about 60 horses in training.

He has also had success at Mountaineer before. On the 2005 West Virginia Derby undercard, Romans won the West Virginia Governor's Stakes with M B Sea. The margin of victory in the race was seven lengths. Romans is giving M B Sea a chance this coming Sunday for a second consecutive 'Governor's Stakes victory - his opponents this time will include the '05 West Virginia Derby winner, Real Dandy.

But the horse from Romans' stable most likely to get the most attention this weekend will be Bright One, whose future may, indeed, be as bright as his name suggests. Romans thinks it is. And he's a man who knows his horses.