Romero busy working on multiple projects

Hall of Fame rider Randy Romero has been cooking up a storm in his childhood home in Erath, La.

“I’ve got a lot on my plate,” he said.

And it’s not just the gumbo he’s been making for his family these days. Romero has also got some racing-related projects on the immediate horizon. He will make an appearance at Louisiana Downs on Saturday. He’s also in negotiations with a company that wants to make a movie about his life. And later this month, he’s headed to Gulfstream Park to meet with apprentice Cristina Bonilla. Romero and the 29-year-old Bonilla, set to launch her career, will discuss teaming together as agent and rider.

“She’s very dedicated, wants to be the best female jockey out there,” Romero said. “She made me wake up and get another grip of life.”

Romero, 58, has been battling extensive health issues since retiring from riding in 1999. He has been on dialysis for the past 15 years and said Tuesday he is sitting second on a list for a new kidney. Romero also has been dealing with an old back injury that temporarily relegated him to a wheelchair. He is scheduled to have surgery this summer to fuse two broken vertebrae that have flared up. The injury dates back to his riding career.

Romero, who had long worked as an agent, returned to Erath, located near Lafayette, in the last year. He is getting medical care in New Orleans.

“My dad passed in April of last year,” he said. “I’m living with my mother. She’s 80. I’ve been gone for 40 years. I decided to come down. I’m still on dialysis three times a week.”

Romero said he is looking forward to Saturday’s trip to Louisiana Downs, where he was a multiple title winner. All told, Romero won more than 4,200 races. His visit to Louisiana Downs will complement an all-turf program and support a book signing.

“I haven’t been there in so long,” Romero said. “I want to go back and see the people. It was a good place. I got started there.”

Romero hopes to see Bonilla get off to a fast start. He met her through her artwork, as she once did a drawing of Romero. Bonilla, who later this year could find herself competing at Fair Grounds, is looking forward to the prospect of working with Romero.

“He’s a legend,” she said. “You can’t get any better than that.”