Romacaca was back in familiar surroundings after capturing the
$100,000 South Beach Stakes, but the 6-year-old mare wouldn’t have been
in the Gulfstream Park winner’s circle had owner Frank Calabrese got his
price at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November Sale on Nov. 5.
Romacaca was returned to trainer Danny Miller’s stable when her
reserve price wasn’t met during bidding, and her connections are only
too happy to keep getting their pictures taken with her.
“She’s just a nice mare. All you have to do is take good care of her
and keep her healthy,” trainer Danny Miller said. “She’s a nice mare.
She likes to run.”
Romacaca’s victory was her fifth in 10 starts at Gulfstream and her
16th from 32 trips to post during her career. Favored at 3-1, the
daughter of Running Stag proved to be the same old Romacaca despite
returning from a two-month layoff and dropping back in distance to 7 ½
furlongs.
“I think it’s easier on her to run her longer. She can relax more,
but she ran really well today,” Miller said. “She’s been 60 days between
races and had gone down to the sale. I lost some training time with her
when she was down at the sale.”
Although she usually sets or closely attends the early pace at
longer distances, Romacaca sat off the pace in the South Beach while
rating kindly for jockey Francisco Torres. Despite racing four wide
around the turn into the stretch, she made the lead in deep stretch
while holding off late-charging Chokurei by a neck.
“She did everything within herself and all I did was try to keep her
out of trouble. She worked so well here the other morning so I was very
excited to ride her today,” said Torres, a newcomer to Gulfstream this
winter after his second win with two mounts on Sunday. “Going
seven-eighths of a mile, you’ll see more horses showing a little more
tactical speed than you would going a mile-and-a-sixteenth and a
mile-and-an-eighth, so I let her fall out of there and place herself
where she was comfortable. When it was time to call on her she quickened
up and prevailed.”
Chokurei, ridden by Bravo, finished three-quarters of a length ahead
of Hooh Why and jockey Ron Allen Jr. Romacaca ran 7 ½ furlongs on turf
in 1:29.37 while pushing her bankroll over $926,000 with the $60,000
winner’s share.
The Florida-bred mare was claimed by Calabrese, the leading owner at
Gulfstream for three years running, for $25,000 at Gulfstream Park on
April 14, 2009. She has won 10 stakes, including the 2011 Matchmaker
(G3) at Monmouth, the 2012 Modesty (G3) at Arlington Park and the South
Beach. Miller, who had trained Romacaca during her 3-year-old season,
was reunited with her last summer.
“We love her. We loved her when we had her before,” Miller said.
“She’s just such a professional. She’s such a delight to have in the
stable. We just love her.”