Performance of the Week: Romansh

There were many fantastic performances over Bre eders’ Cup Weekend.

Goldencents blitzed them in the Dirt Mile; Beholder ran away from champion Royal Delta and top 3-year-old filly Princess of Sylmar in the Distaff; Wise Dan was super yet again when repeating in the Mile; Groupie Doll proved that rumors of her imminent demise were greatly exaggerated with an excellent Filly and Mare Sprint effort; Ryan Moore pulled a rabbit out of his hat with Magician’s upset of the Turf; and Mucho Macho Man moved to the head of the handicap class with a nose triumph in the Classic. All of these races could easily qualify for “Performance of the Week” honors.

Forward-thinking handicappers with eyes trained on important graded races in early 2014, however, should take note of a promising effort 3,000 miles east of the Breeders’ Cup on Nov. 2. Romansh looked like a horse to watch in winning the $200,000 Grade 3 Discovery Handicap for 3-year-olds at nine furlongs over the Aqueduct main track.

With the leading lights of the division otherwise occupied, Romansh whipped seven foes, horses that will not be mistaken for Will Take Charge and Palace Malice anytime soon, but useful enough to represent a dec ent benchmark of form.

Romansh broke nicely from post 7 and ended up tracking the pace from the outside as stakes-placed Midnight Taboo and three-time stakes winner Vegas No Show cut fractions of 23.49, 47.36, and 1:11.73. Jockey Jose Ortiz, who later told track publicity that he was “just a passenger,” eased Romansh outside the pacesetters on the far turn and confidently unleashed his mount to the front. After that, the only question was how far the winning margin would be as Romansh galloped home. He drifted out slightly under left-handed encouragement in the stretch, but was never in danger.

Romansh finished his final three furlongs in 36.49 seconds, stopped the teletimer in 1:48.28, and received a career-best 110 Beyer Speed Figure for his 9 1/4-length triumph over recent allowance race winner Norumbega. Among the vanquished were stakes winners Battier (most recently third in the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby), Micromanage (a well-beaten third in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational over the summer), and Mr. Palmer and stakes-placed Bad Hombre.

“After the Pennsylvania Derby [on Sept. 21], we gave him a little time off and pointed to this race,” assistant trainer Pedro Mateo told track publicity after the Discovery. “We were rebuilding. At Parx, he might not have liked the track [when finishing sixth]. We always thought he was a nice horse and now he’s maturing. He’ll be going to Florida for the winter next week.”

Romansh is by Bernardini, the champion 3-year-old colt of 2006 and winner of the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes. Bernardini took six of eight car eer starts, also achieved Grade 1 success in the Travers Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes, and earned Beyers of 110 or greater five times. Bernardini is represented by North American Grade 1 winners To Honor and Serve, Alpha, Stay Thirsty, and A Z Warrior.

Romansh’s dam, Cologny, by Kentucky Derby winner Go for Gin, was a multiple stakes winner at six furlongs. She earned almost $400,000 and received a 99 Beyer in a 7 1/2-length score in the Montclair State University Stakes over a “good” track at Meadowlands.

Cologny is a three-quarter-sister to stakes-winning turf miler Keep It S. S. Cologny is also a half-sister to Selective, a stakes-winning router on both dirt and turf.

Bred by Darley and Lynn B. Schiff, Romansh was foaled in Kentucky on March 14, 2010. He was purchased by Darley for $750,000 at the following August’s Fasig-Tipton yearling auction in Saratoga Springs.

Darley sent Romansh to Bernardini’s trainer, Tom Albertrani. Like Bernardini, Romansh was a bit late to develop. Romansh did not make his debut until late March of this season, a seven-furlong maiden special weight race at Gulfstream. He finis hed fourth after pressing the pace, and then placed third going 1 1/16 miles at Belmont on April 28.

The following month, Romansh, racing with Lasix for the first time, handled maidens in an off-the turf event at 1 1/16 miles at Belmont. The third-place finisher, Comes the Dream, returned to win on turf before finishing third in the $125,000 Toronto Cup Stakes at Woodbine.

For his first start against winners and around two turns, Albertrani selected the nine-furlong, $100,000 Curlin Stakes at Saratoga on July 26. Romansh did not break very well and made a four-wide bid to the front before tiring behind stablemate Transparent, a colt that was disqualified for causing interference with another horse in the stretch. Thus, Romansh became a stakes winner. The Curlin fourth-place finisher, Edge of Reality, returned to win the Grade 3 Smarty Jones Stakes at Parx Racing with a 101 Beyer.

Romansh leapt into Grade 1 company for his next appearance, the Grade 1 Travers Stakes. He tracked the pace along the inside, split horses with a three-wide bid on the far turn, and finished evenly along the rail despite failing to switch leads. Although fifth at the finish, he was only defeated four lengths by Will Take Charge, who flattered the race by coming back to win the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby before being nosed out by Mucho Macho Man in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Romansh did not run very well in the Pennsylvania Derby, his final race before the Discovery, as he tired to finish sixth after chasing the pace.

It appears as if Romansh is finally figuring out the game. He was much more fluid with his lead changes in the Discovery and put the race to bed when first asked for run. While it certainly was not a Breeders’ Cup-caliber field, Romansh looked very good and may have enough upside to contend in a race like the Grade 1 Donn Handicap early next year at Gulfstream.