Romans pulls out training title in squeaker
While jockey Corey Lanerie ran away to his seventh riding title in the past eight Churchill Downs meets, the crowns for winningest owner and trainer came down to the 10th of 11 races on Sunday's closing card.
Wayne Catalano needed to win the 10th with second-choice Flashy Gal to secure a tie for the trainer's title with Dale Romans, who won the first race with 11-1 Awesome Dawson to go up 14-13 after both trainers took three races Saturday.
Flashy Gal also could have secured an owner's title outright for Gary and Mary West. They came into the day leading all-time Churchill leader Ken and Sarah Ramsey 12-11. But the Ramseys won the third race with $25,000 claimer Cherokee Beads to pull into a tie as they pursued their record-extending 23rd Downs title. And they still had heavy favorite Kitten's Queen, trained by Mike Maker, in the 10th race, which was taken off the turf as thawing ground underneath made the grass too soft and slick.
As it turned out, Kitten's Queen was third and Flashy Gal fourth behind a pair of 10-1 shots. So the Wests and Ramseys tied at 12 wins each, and Romans took his 12th training title but wasn't on hand to accept the award.
The trophy presentation was left to former jockey Tammy Fox, Romans' life partner, assistant trainer and ace exercise rider.
"He said he wanted me to do it because Wayne had two left (to run), and he didn't want to root against his friend," Fox said. "If he was here and watching his horses run, he was going to root against him. So he wanted me to be the bad guy."
Catalano, who earned his first Louisville title in a tie with Steve Asmussen at Churchill's September meet, and the Wests figured to have another shot with the program favorite for the 11th race. But that horse was scratched with an injury that surfaced Sunday morning.
Catalano was clearly disappointed but happy the Wests at least got a tie. "It's great, good for them," he said. "They're big in the game. They put up their money and they deserve it. And I'm happy to be part of it."
Ken Ramsey said he relished the competition that the Wests offered.
"They were tough," he said. "They came in one up. I got the news they took the races off the turf. I thought Kitten's Queen was the winner if they run on the turf. I'd have scratched her if we had been two ahead. But anyway, we pulled it out. I'm tickled to death to get the tie. It just turned out the fickle fingers of fate made both of us winners.
"They're great people. We love the competition. It made me dig in, and we entered more horses than we normally would — and won. That's the truth. I don't know if they did the same thing or not, but they're very competitive also."
Lanerie won 36 races, 11 more than runner-up Shaun Bridgmohan, for his seventh title, all since 2012 and capping a sweep of Churchill's three 2014 meets.
He's establishing a streak of dominance that hasn't been sustained since all-time track leader Pat Day reigned. Even when Julien Leparoux was winning eight out of 10 titles and nine out of 12 from 2006 through 2011, he didn't routinely pull away from the competition the way that Lanerie has done, including after Leparoux's return to riding at Churchill following forays into a California and New York base.
"I'm just blessed; I ride a lot of horses in all the categories," Lanerie said. "That's what makes the difference, what keeps me on top. A lot of other riders don't seem to have the cheap (claiming) business that I have, and those are the races you have to ride to be leading rider. I'm thankful for that, and thankful to be winning."
Contact Jennie Rees at 502-582-4042. Follow her on Twitter @CJ_Jennie and Facebook.com/CJJennie.