Randy Paul Romero (December 22, 1957 – August 29, 2019) was an Americanjockey in the sport ofThoroughbredhorse racing.
Born into a family involved with horses, his father Lloyd J. Romero was a Louisianastate trooper whotrainedAmerican Quarter Horses and later, after a drunk driver crashed into his police car and permanently disabled him, he began trainingThoroughbreds forflat racing. The 1978 movieCasey's Shadow is based on Lloyd Romero and his family. He was elected into theThoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame May 27, 2010.[1]
In 1975, Romero began his professional riding career atEvangeline Downs inLafayette, Louisiana.
Nicknamed the "Ragin' Cajun", in 1983 atOaklawn Park racetrack inArkansas Romero suffered a near career-ending injury when he received major burns to two-thirds of his body from a freak fire that erupted while taking asauna. He had rubbed himself down with alcohol and moved into the sauna in the jockey's room. As he did he accidentally broke a live light bulb that immediately ignited his entire body. After seven months of rehabilitation, he returned to compete at theFair Grounds Race Course inNew Orleans, where he won his third of four riding titles and set a track record with 181 wins.
Romero's success led to ownerOgden Phipps and trainerShug McGaughey choosing him to be the regular rider forPersonal Ensign. Romero rode the futureHall of Famefilly to an undefeated career, capped off with a victory in the 1988Breeders' Cup Distaff, an event he had won the previous year aboardSacahuista for trainerD. Wayne Lukas. The following year he won his third straightBreeders' Cup race, taking theJuvenile Fillies event withGo for Wand. He was aboard Go for Wand and in the lead in the 1990 Breeders' Cup Distaff race when she fell to the track after suffering an open fracture to her right cannon bone. Romerobroke his pelvis and several ribs, and the filly had to be immediatelyeuthanized.
While Romero met with great success as a jockey, the downside of his career was a number of racing-related injuries requiring more than twentysurgeries. He retired in July 1999 having ridden 4,285 winners, notably winning a number of importantGrade I events.
In 2002, Romero's health problems were added to when he learned that the disordered eating required to maintain riding weight during his years as a jockey had severely damaged hiskidneys. He said he began vomiting his food at an early age in the practice known as "flipping" in the world of jockeys.[citation needed]
In addition, hisliver was damaged by a taintedblood transfusion received during one of his many operations. Along with fellow jockeyShane Sellers, he was featured in the 2004HBOdocumentary film titledJockey. Directed byKate Davis, the films tells the story of their health problems resulting from racing injuries and the long-term effects ofbulimia to maintain racing weight.
For a number of years, Romero suffered fromhepatitis C and on February 18, 2008 he had a kidney removed at aLouisville, Kentucky hospital. His remaining kidney did not work very well and he had to receivedialysis treatments several times each week.[2]
On June 19, 2019, Romero enteredhospice care in Lafayette due to hiscancer which was detected in 2015.[3]
Romero died on August 29, 2019, due to stomach cancer.[4]
Romero was voted into theNational Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2010.[5]
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