Romansh awarded Curlin via DQ of Transparent

Darley Stable's Transparent rumbled home two lengths clear of his entrymate

Romansh in Friday's $100,000

Curlin

Stakes at Saratoga, but the all-Bernardini exacta proved short-lived. For

Transparent had angled into the path of Proud Strike turning for home, causing

him to clip heels, and the stewards disqualified the first-past-the-post and

placed him fifth.

As a result, the other Darley runner sired by Bernardini, Romansh, was

awarded the victory. Favored at 7-5, the entrymates were representing different

barns. Romansh is trained by Tom Albertrani, while Kiaran McLaughlin lost the

apparent score with Transparent.

But both colts ran themselves into consideration for the Grade 1 Travers on

August 24.

"At least we kept it in the family," Albertrani said. "I think we could

entertain (the Travers) a little bit. We'll wait and see how things go. We'll

see how things run tomorrow (in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy)."

"I have to say that's not the idea going in, to run two and hope they run

one-two and they have to reverse the order," said Jimmy Bell, president of

Darley Stable. "Both horses ran winning races.

"Tommy's colt (Romansh) had a little problem leaving the gate and lost a

little position right there. Making his fourth lifetime start, that was a big

step forward and shows he belongs with these upper division three-year-olds.

That was a promising effort for sure."

Romansh was making his stakes and two-turn debut fresh off a May 25 maiden

romp at Belmont Park, and added blinkers for the first time here. Awkwardly away

when stumbling from the gate, the $750,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling

purchase settled into a stalking fourth for Junior Alvarado. Transparent was

close by in fifth beneath Irad Ortiz Jr.

Up front, Cerro carved out splits of :24 and :48 under persistent pressure

from Bad Hombre to his inside. Edge of Reality moved alongside in third on the

backstretch. As Bad Hombre headed Cerro through six furlongs in 1:12 2/5,

Romansh was gearing up wider out to make it a contentious foursome.

Rounding the far turn, Transparent wheeled out to go after the top four, and

in the process cut across Proud Strike. Thus Proud Strike clipped heels and

nearly came down, and Ricardo Santana Jr. did well to stay in the irons.

A different sort of action was unfolding at the head of affairs. Cerro

dropped out of contention down the lane, leaving Bad Hombre, Edge of Reality and

Romansh to battle heads apart. Romansh poked his head in front at the

eighth-pole, getting the mile in 1:36 4/5.

Then Transparent emerged widest of all to mow them down and completed 1 1/8

miles on the fast track in 1:49 2/5. But the inquiry sign flashed promptly,

Santana also claimed foul against Ortiz, and the stewards agreed that

Transparent was at fault.

Romansh, who crossed the wire a clear second by 2 3/4 lengths, salvaged the

day for backers of the entry and paid $4.80 to win.

"My horse stumbled pretty bad coming out of the gate," Alvarado said. "He

picked it up and got bumped by the horse outside and stumbled again. After that,

he put himself in a pretty good position. Turning for home, I thought I had it,

but at the eighth-pole I saw (Transparent) going by. Both horses ran huge

races."

Bad Hombre edged Edge of Reality in a photo, and the hampered Proud Strike

checked in a further 12 1/2 lengths astern in fifth.

Upon the disqualification of Transparent, Bad Hombre was elevated to second,

Edge of Reality to third, and Proud Strike to fourth. Transparent was demoted to

fifth, followed by Keg Party and Cerro. Midnight Taboo was scratched in favor of

Sunday's 9TH race.

Romansh nearly doubled his earnings to $123,580, and his scorecard now stands

at 4-2-0-1. Unraced at two, the dark bay finished fourth in a seven-furlong

maiden at Gulfstream Park on March 30, and third going 1 1/16 miles at Belmont

on April 28. He graduated in an off-the-turf maiden at the same distance,

romping by 5 1/2 lengths in the Belmont mud last time out.

Bred by Darley and Lynn B. Schiff in Kentucky, Romansh is out of the multiple

stakes heroine and Grade 3-placed Cologny, herself a half-sister to multiple

stakes scorer and Grade 3-placed Selective. The Go for Gin mare is also a

three-quarter sister to stakes winner Keep It S. S. and to Double Boarded, the

dam of Grade 3 victor Twice the Appeal and Grade 3-placed multiple stakes winner

Board Elligible.

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