Renamed gelding Respect for All gets chance to make news on the track

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Owner Larry Roman didn’t know what he was getting into when had trainer Rob Atras drop the claim slip for a son of Uncle Mo in the first race at Aqueduct on Jan. 8.

When the horse won by 6 1/2 lengths, Roman thought he got a nice horse at a bargain price. Twenty-four hours later, he had more than that.

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The horse in question was named Grape Soda. As it turned out, the name was deemed racially insensitive by The Jockey Club after the previous trainer, Eric Guillot, had announced on Twitter he had named the horse for Ken Rudulph, a Black analyst for Television Games Network, with whom he had been feuding.

The Jockey Club made Roman change the name, and the gelding is now known as Respect for All. On Sunday, Respect for All will run in a starter-allowance race at Aqueduct.

“Normally, you have some pressure when you’re watching your horse run, but now I have so much pressure because all eyes are on this horse,” Roman said. “The heart will be pumping pretty good.”

Roman said he claimed the horse because of his pedigree. Uncle Mo is a top stallion who stands for $175,000 live foal, and the dam, Diplomat Lady, won the Grade 1 Hollywood Starlet in 2005.

“I’m not one of the people going to these sales bidding $300,000, $400,000, $500,000 on horses,” Roman said. “For $25,000, it made sense. We’ll know after the race. I’ve been fooled before. Looking on paper, the horse has a reasonable chance.”

Though Respect for All is running back just nine days after he won, Roman said all reports from Atras have been positive.

“What he said is the horse is sound, the horse is a big, good-looking horse, and he’s galloping well,” Roman said.

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In 2019, Roman and Atras claimed a horse from trainer Chad Brown for $30,000. One week later, that horse, Spectator Sport, won a maiden $40,000 claiming race.

On the day Roman changed Grape Soda’s name to Respect for All, he pledged to donate 10 percent of the gelding’s gross earnings to Backstretch Employee Service Team, which aids in taking care of backstretch workers at NYRA tracks.

“I hope they’ll be rooting hard,” said Roman, who plans to be at Aqueduct on Sunday to watch the horse run.

◗ There will an eight-race card Monday at Aqueduct, topped by the $100,000 Interborough Stakes. Saguaro Row, last year’s Interborough winner, will try to improve on her fourth-place finish in the Garland of Roses Stakes here Dec. 6.

She will face a field that includes Portal Creek, runner-up in the Grade 3 Go for Wand, Bella Aurora, Call On Mischief, and Needs Supervision.

◗ Beginning Feb. 1, post time for an eight-race card will be 1:20. First post for nine-race programs will be 1 p.m. Starting Feb. 15, first post will be 1:20 p.m. on eight- or nine-race cards.