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TOBA November Member of the Month

Frank Romeo is the TOBA November Member of the Month

Frank and Kathy Romeo

Frank and Kathy Romeo

Courtesy Frank and Kathy Romeo

Frank Romeo’s love for horse racing runs deep. But unlike his Shakespearean namesake, this owner is achieving nothing but happily-ever-afters. Recently, Romeo, part of First Row Partners, entered the winner’s circle with his first grade 1 winner Goodnight Olive, co-owned by First Row and Team Hanley, registered a solid 2 ¾-length victory in the August 28 Ballerina Stakes (G1) at Saratoga.

“Going into that race,” said Romeo, “I felt that probably this was the field that’d be close to the field in the [Nov. 5] Breeders’ Cup [Filly & Mare Sprint, G1] you’d see coming up. I knew we needed a pretty fast pace that she could run into. She always breaks well, but she’s got very great tactical speed; [jockey] Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] can get her wherever he needs to get her.” He added, “And yet she just ran; she chased that, very fast early fractions. She was very close to it, actually.”

First Row’s members flew in from all over the country for her win. “It was great sharing it with them,” enthused Romeo. “I think they were as excited as I was.” Also in attendance was Romeo’s son Jonathan, a Thoroughbred enthusiast. Romeos Senior and Junior worked to develop the StableConnect app for racing syndicates. Goodnight Olive covered the Ballerina’s seven-furlong distance in 1:21.40, leaving in her wake champion Ce Ce and graded winners Bella Sofia, Obligatory, Caramel Swirl, and Travel Column. Undefeated in three 2022 starts, the Ghostzapper  filly is currently riding a five-race winning streak.

Romeo grew up in Amsterdam, New York, about 25 miles from Saratoga. “I think my love for racing started at Saratoga,” he said, “and I think anyone that grew up in that area had that kind of in their blood a bit. And many of us become real fans because of our experience at the track.” Romeo got to witness performances from the all-time greats. “At Saratoga, I saw Secretariat a few times as a two-year-old and as a three-year-old; Rachel Alexandra; Affirmed and Alydar; and [...] at one point, I attended 25 Belmont Stakes [G1] in a row.”

Romeo said, “Most recently, I was CEO and president of a 160-person engineering consulting firm.” Despite still working as an advisor, he explained, “I look forward to spending some time traveling to various tracks and watching our horses run.” Romeo and wife Kathy currently reside in North Kingston, Rhode Island.

Romeo first entered the sport about 25 years ago. “I had been wanting to be an owner for a while,” he recalled, “but you’re in different phases of your life, with kids in college and entering college. I kind of waited and then I had friends and relatives, actually, in the Saratoga-Amsterdam area that had been partners for a while in the business. And I finally made the move and joined, and that was Sportsmen Stable.” That partnership, in which Romeo is still involved, consists mostly of New York residents running New York-breds.

The late Dr. J. David Richardson, whom Romeo got to know when their Saratoga boxes adjoined one another, introduced Romeo to TOBA. “He brought me up to speed as to what their mission is and what they do for the industry, owners and breeders, and after that discussion I thought it’d be a good idea to become a member,” Romeo reflected.

Romeo counts First Row’s managing partner, Joe D’Agostino, as a good friend. D’Agostino and founding member Dr. Steve Laymon invited Romeo to sign on to their new racing partnership, which focused on campaigning at a higher level with Kentucky-breds. Romeo is currently involved with about 12 horses, with seven to eight of those being runners in training. About half of those dozen are with First Row; the other half is with Sportsmen.

With Chad Brown as a trainer and bloodstock agent Liz Crow selecting horses for them, First Row sprang from the gate fully primed to win. At the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Fall Kentucky Yearling sale, Crow purchased Goodnight Olive for $170,000. Royal Charlotte, co-owned by First Row and Parkland Thoroughbreds, captured the 2019 Victory Ride Stakes (G3) and Prioress Stakes (G2). The latter victory came at Saratoga, which Romeo described as “a great thrill.”

In 2020, Nay Lady Nay, campaigned by First Row and Hidden Brook Farm, annexed the Mrs. Revere Stakes (G2T) and WinStar Matchmaker Stakes (G3T). The former race was named after a horse bred by Richardson, which meant a lot to Romeo. He said of Richardson, “He presented the trophy to Steve and our folks in the winner’s circle, actually.”