Dale Romans Joins TDN Writers’ Room Podcast

Wandering Eyes · 2025-01-21T22:45:41Z

Dale Romans may train primarily in Kentucky but he comes to Gulfstream every winter. Few trainers anywhere have their finger on the pulse quite like Romans does when it comes to industry issues, which is why he was the week's Gainesway Guest of the Week and asked to help unravel the situation in Florida. The TDN Writers' Room podcast is sponsored by Keeneland.

Romans, who is also the president of the Kentucky HBPA, said he took his eye off the ball because he was so sure that Santa Anita would be the next major track to close.

“I had no inkling,” he said. “I don't think the regular horsemen on the backside–I can't speak for the board of their horsemen's group here–but I don't think anybody that races here had any idea what was in the plans. You know, what they're saying is the property has become too valuable for a racetrack to sit on it, basically. And that's why they want to decouple because right now, the way to stay within the law is they have to run 40 days in order to have the casino license.”

The best offer put forth so far by the Stronach Group (TSG) is that they will keep the place up and running for just three years more, and will do so only if the horsemen support decoupling. TSG is eager to decouple because they want to build a large full-service casino and hotel on the property.

Romans was asked to read the tea leaves. Where does this go next? He does not think the casino project can be completed within three years.

“Let me tell you what my personal feeling is about that,” he said. “It would probably take them more than three years to get all the planning done, to get the property developed, get the area re-zoned and do all the things you have to do with permits and stuff in South Florida. So I don't think they're really offering anything by saying they'll give us three years. And it's obviously not about the money going to purses because they say they'll keep the purse account whole. But what that tells you, within three years, they could close down, have no incentive to race, develop the property and still have the cornerstone of the development being a slot casino. So it's not about the money going into the purses, it's about developing the property and maintaining the slot casino on that development.”

If Gulfstream closes, that does not necessarily mean that there will be no more racing in South Florida. There's an effort being made behind the scenes to switch racing to one of two locations, either Hialeah or the Palm Meadows training center. Neither are perfect solutions but re-opening Hialeah or rebuilding Palm Meadows are not far fetched ideas.

“Well, I would like some of the powers a lot smarter than me to get involved and try to find a new place to race in South Florida,” Romans said. “And if it happens down the road, do we have a place to go? I mean, the best scenario in my opinion, which I don't know how feasible it is, but you go back to Hialeah. I was at Hialeah a couple years ago. I just went back over there to reminisce and I couldn't believe what good shape the grandstand was in. The racetrack's still there, the turf course is still there. It looks really good. Put some barns up and you can open the doors tomorrow.”

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by WinStar, 1/st Racing, the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders' Association,https://pabred.com/https://www.kentuckybred.org/https://www.nyrabets.com/ West Point Thoroughbreds, the KTOB and XBTV.com, the team of T.D Thornton, Bill Finley and Randy Moss gave their own takes on the Gulfstream situation and how it will affect not just Florida, but the entire sport. Finley called Paco Lopez's 46-day suspension for striking a horse in the neck and face after a race in December at Parx a slap on the wrist and said Lopez should have gotten at least 90 days.

Click here to watch or here to listen.