Trainer Dale Romans Gets 2,000th Winner

Robert Baron's Caroline Lois captured the fourth race at Gulfstream Park Jan. 5 to give Eclipse Award-winning trainer Dale Romans the 2,000th victory of his career.

Jockey Robby Albarado piloted Caroline Lois ($11.60), a bay daughter of Paynter , to a 2 1/4-length victory in the maiden claiming event for 3-year-old fillies.

Last year at Gulfstream, Romans won the Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) with Baron-owned Promises Fulfilled. Later that year, he added victories in the H. Allen Jerkens Stakes Presented by Runhappy (G1) and the Amsterdam Stakes (G3) at Saratoga Race Course and the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes (G2) at Keeneland.

"This filly ran a beautiful race," Romans said. "Bob Baron is more than a client. He's also a very good friend. We've been together a long time. He won (1,998 and 1,999), and he was wanting to be No. 2,000, and I was glad he was."

A 52-year-old native of Louisville, Ky., Romans grew up in the shedrow of his late father, Jerry Romans, and took out his trainer's license at 18. He spent the winter of 1986 working as an assistant to late Hall of Famer Woody Stephens at Hialeah Park and notched his first winner on his own Feb. 15, 1987, with Miss Mindy at Turfway Park.

Romans won the Preakness Stakes (G1) with Shackleford  in 2011 and finished second in that race twice. He's also run third four times in the Belmont Stakes (G1) and twice in the Kentucky Derby (G1). He owns three victories in the Breeders' Cup, the most recent coming with Little Mike in the 2012 Turf (G1T) that helped clinch the trainer's Eclipse Award.

During his championship season, Romans won 125 races, 20 graded stakes, and a career-high $11,834,249 in purse earnings. Nine of his stakes victories came in grade 1 events—three by Little Mike and two each from Shackleford, Tapitsfly, and Dullahan.

Romans campaigned Roses in May to eight wins and four seconds from 13 starts and more than $5.4 million in purses. Roses in May capped his career with a victory in the 2005 Emirates Airline Dubai World Cup (G1). Kitten's Joy  earned the 2004 Eclipse Award as champion turf horse under Romans' tutelage and finished his career with nine wins, four seconds, and a $2.075 million bankroll from 14 starts.

In 2015, Romans-trained Keen Ice  upset Triple Crown champion American Pharoah  in the Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga. Two years later, he became the all-time winningest trainer at Churchill Downs, surpassing Hall of Famer Bill Mott.

"It's great. My father said there's a lot of ways you can judge your success, and one of them was to be around the game for a long time and last. I think I've been able to do that," Romans said. "We've had 2,000 quality wins over many years, and it makes for a good career."