Janet Rome Chats Racing, Shared Belief, Longines Awards

Juan-Carlos Capelli, Janet Rome (co-owner of Shared Belief), Louis Romanet and Jim Gagliano at the Longines World's Best Racehorse Awards ceremony. (All photos courtesy of Longines World's Best Racehorse Awards, unless otherwise noted)
At the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Awards in London this week, there were many more honorees than just U.S. Horse of the Year American Pharoah. Shared Belief, who was the second runner-up for the top spot, was posthumously honored during the ceremony.
Janet Rome, who owned Shared Belief along with her husband, radio and television sports personality Jim Rome, was on hand to receive the award.
Janet Rome’s heartfelt speech about Shared Belief, what he meant to her family and how sad they were to lose him had the entire room rapt and moved and was perhaps the highlight of the entire ceremony.
I caught up with her after the ceremony for a quick interview.
LONGINES WORLD'S BEST RACEHORSE AWARDS CEREMONY

What got you involved in this sport?
We got into it about nine years ago. My husband, Jim, and I lived in San Diego and we would go to Del Mar in the summer. One time, a syndicate came to us and asked us if we wanted to invest. We knew nothing about horse racing, but my husband works very long hours and did not have a hobby. I thought this would be something he might enjoy and we should try it. So we ended up investing in a horse. My husband went to the race. The horse was running last and Jim thought we were real suckers. And the horse went from last to first and he said that feeling, he’d never forget that feeling. That was it. After that, we learned a lot about horse racing. We started buying more horses, a few horses that did not do well. We found a manager, Alex Solis II, who said we needed a plan. So, he gave us a plan. We have so much respect for him and what he’s done for us.
It’s a great hobby. It’s an expensive hobby, but it’s a great hobby, especially for our family. We take the whole family — our kids, our relatives and our friends — out to the track and out to the barns. We really have a love for the horses. And that’s not always good for business, because we always put our horses first, but that’s the way we do it. We put their needs first.
Our problem is we keep most of our horses in Kentucky, just enjoying life! For us, it’s important that they do have a second career. I was on the board of CARMA (California Retirement Management Account), which raises fund for aftercare. I have learned that aftercare is so important. We have one that even became a polo horse. 
Were you animal lovers?
We’re both animal lovers. My husband, this whole horse thing, the connection he has with these horses … he spends hours in the barn with them. Mizdirection, when we had to sell her, he says that was one of the hardest things he ever did. She had just won the Breeders’ Cup [Turf Sprint] and we needed to take some money off the table to stay in business. A lot of people say that was awful, but we say she had nothing left to prove. She won two Breeders’ Cups and we respected her enough to let her go out on top. She won the Breeders’ Cup going down the hill at Santa Anita, then at two in the morning that night the truck came to get her. Jim and I were in the barn by ourselves. That was one of the most emotional moments in our lives, believe it or not.
MIZDIRECTION

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
Is this a side of Jim that surprised you at all?
I knew he loved animals. I think because he’s a sports broadcaster and has been doing that for 30 years, what I think inspires him is the understanding that they are athletes. You get them as a 1-year-old or 2-year-old and the regiment they go through to build their bodies, we have such a respect for them. 
What lead you to get more involved in aftercare?
The president of CARMA (California Retirement Management Account), Madeline Auerbach, she pulled me aside and shared with me the numbers and figures on what happens to horses. Jim and I had no idea how many are born each year and what happens to them. Madeline explained it to us about how horses have nowhere to go, how sometimes they are taken across the border into Mexico and we don’t know what happens to them. I have two young children, but as they get older I want to devote more and more time to this because it is so important.
What’s it like when you bring friends or family to the racetrack for the first time?
I think everyone that we’ve introduced to the sport loves it. Most of them know nothing about it. A lot of people in Orange County go to Del Mar. It’s kind of the “thing to do.” But once people start to understand how the sport works they want to be a part of it, to learn more about it. That’s what’s great about the Breeders’ Cups. Taking friends to the Breeders’ Cup is like the experience of a lifetime. I think unless you go, you don’t really understand it. And once you do, it’s such a great sport. We need younger people involved. We need to get more people out to the track. One of the ways you do it is through competition. We saw that with Shared Belief and California Chrome. We saw people come out. We saw fan pages. We haven’t experienced that with our other horses. But to see that rivalry, the San Antonio Stakes, you could see the crowds were coming out. My husband has always said that in any sport if there is a rivalry between two teams you will build interest. I think we need more of that.
We did not put Shared Belief on the [Kentucky] Derby trail or send him to Dubai because we thought he’d have such a long life and that it would be good for horse racing to keep him racing for a long time. We didn’t realize, I mean we knew he was special, but when he passed, the outpouring of support from around the country was amazing. But that’s what we thought would be good for horse racing. We thought he’d be there for years and it would bring more people out to the track. Sadly, it didn’t work out that way. 
SHARED BELIEF

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
Have you been able to do that for other people?
We’ve had friends come in and buy portions of horses. But the one thing that has helped is that my husband has a national show. No one covers horse racing. When he would talk about it before, he might have done a short interview with Bob Baffert or someone once a year. But now on his radio show and his TV show, he’s able to open the show with a race. That’s unheard of! It’s exciting to see that callers who call the show are saying they are going to Santa Anita or going to the track. Before people would complain if he was talking about horse racing on the air. Now, you can hear that there are more fans following it, younger fans. It’s exciting. 
How do your kids like horse racing?
They love to go to the barn; they love to give the horses carrots (which I know we’re not supposed to do). The 14-year-old loves the vibe at the races. The 10-year-old is like a mini-analyst. He loved all of the horses but there was something about Shared Belief; he would watch the races over and over. Jim watches the races every night. He would watch them with him and say, “well, I think if the horse would have done this” or “I think if he would have gone this way,” to Jim. So, I think he’s going to be more like his dad!
Del Mar and Santa Anita have so many activities for kids. It’s a great day to go out to the track. Moms should absolutely take their kids to the track. It’s fun. Our kids love it, and it’s been really great for our family.
Of course, my husband is always asked if the highs make up for the lows. There are bad times. Shared Belief passing was the love of Jim’s life. He would watch that horse’s races every single night. He was so excited about this horse’s career. It was very hard on all of us. For Jim, it is still very raw …  for all of us. We were all so proud of him. 
It must be gratifying to be here in London and see that the whole world took notice and appreciated what Shared Belief accomplished.
The outpouring! We got letters and emails from all over the world. We had no idea. We knew he was respected, but we had no idea just how many people respected him until sadly this happened. 
Have you and Jim ever talked about racing in other countries?
Oh yeah! We talked about Dubai. In the future, I think it’d be great to race in other countries. We absolutely need to showcase American horses in other countries. This event has been incredible.