Former owner tracks down, saves his old horse

Victorious Recall and his one-time owner Jay Romig, who tracked him down and agreed to pay the bills for his old buddy.

Victorious Recall and his one-time owner Jay Romig, who tracked him down and pledged to take care of him.

Eight years had passed since Jay Romig stepped into the same racebarn as his white Thoroughbred who had once run his heart out for him at Penn National.

But time disappeared when Victorious Recall, now a 17-year-old careworn gelding, and Romig, 65, saw each other again a few months back, meeting as old friends after years apart.

“I never thought I’d see him again,” Romig says. “I thought he must be dead.”

But as soon as Romig entered the temporary barn, where Victorious Recall had been taken in by some kindhearted women, renewed vigor seemed to pump up the tired old warrior, who pricked his ears in Romig’s direction, and nickered.

“People in the barn couldn’t believe it. Everyone said they could tell he still knew me.”

Victorious Recall had been Romig’s racehorse for 13 months beginning in 2004, when he and other racehorse owners purchased him. “He never ran worse than fourth”, Romig says with pride.

During those years, Romig got to know the animal’s quirks. A veritable overachiever on the track, he ran with a stride so huge that he would kick and bruise himself with his own hooves if he wasn’t very carefully shoed, Romig recalls.

Victorious Recall
Sire: Lordeyhexecutioner
Dam: Lamartic
Foal date: May 3, 1997
Earnings: $248,167 in 111 starts
“You had to shoe him perfectly so he wouldn’t hit himself,” he says. “We used to wrap him and put pads on him to make sure he didn’t do too much damage.”

And he had the heart of a champion, Romig says, noting that when this horse strode onto the track, he could almost feel him thinking: “You guys aren’t going to beat me!”

After 13 fabulous months with Victorious, the hard-trying horse was eventually claimed away in 2005, and from that point on, Romig never stopped worrying.

“I always kept an eye on him. I didn’t always go to Penn National when he ran, but I tried to keep tabs on him, and we did try to claim him back once,” he says. But several other owners successfully claimed the animal.

Fortune turned again however, when in December 2007, says Romig, “I was approached and asked if I wanted to take him back. I didn’t have the room on my property in Halifax, Pa., I had two with me, and boarded two, but I said I’ll take him and board him somewhere.”

Romig did his best to find Victorious a home. For a number of yeas he was comfortably ensconced with neighbors just a half-mile from Romig’s home, so visits were frequent. “It was great. They took excellent care of him,” he says.

But when his neighbors decided they couldn’t keep Victorious anymore, they found another home for him nearly 50 miles away. And for several months he tried calling the new owner, but got no response, not realizing she had become ill.

Victorious Recall found a retirement home at the Exceller Fund’s Missouri facility, and his long-ago owner Jay Romig is paying his bills.

Victorious Recall found a retirement home at the Exceller Fund’s Missouri facility, and his long-ago owner Jay Romig is paying his bills.

Out of desperation he drove to the neighborhood where he thought he might find the pretty white gelding, but the search seemed in vain. He even gave out his phone number in the community and asked people to contact him if they heard anything.

More time passed without a word, but then a phone call came.

“A lady said, ‘Were you looking for Recall?’ And I said, ‘Victorious Recall, yeah, I’m looking for him. Is he dead? And she said, ‘No, we have him!’ ”

The ex-racehorse who had successfully waged 111 starts and earned $248,167, had been taken in by a farm after his last owner died, and while Romig had no idea how he could help, he dashed off to the barn to see his old friend.

But he could help and he did. With the assistance of Thoroughbred welfare organizationR.A.C.E. Fund, Romig got his old horse placed with The Exceller Fund, and agreed to pay a portion of Victorious Recall’s upkeep through his retirement years.

Recall arrived at the Exceller Fund’s Missouri property on Nov. 15, and now Romig breathes easily knowing his old friend is in good hands.

“I’m going to pay every month for the rest of his life to take care of him,” he says. “I wish more people would pay for their horse’s retirements. You won’t make as much money, but you can still make it work.” — Originally published on Jan. 2, 2014. #TBT

10 responses to “Former owner tracks down, saves his old horse”

  1. Carolyn McDonald

    Victorious Recall “was eventually claimed away”…. ah yes, the sinister Claiming Races. This horse has been extremely lucky and his story evidences how very close he came to being lost forever and the likelihood of him ending up in the slaughterhouse where the vast majority of racehorses meet their horrific fate.

  2. Susan

    It’s great that he is paying for his care. Keeping him on his personal property is better!

    1. Carolyn McDonald

      Agreed, Susan.

  3. Tonya

    Such a heart warming story to see owners finding a way to help the horses who have made a huge impact on their hearts.

    I know the ending to a quarter horse mare my late great uncle had that we would ride bare back in the fields. I hope many other owners will do their part in making sure these horses find a loving forever home.

    1. lexi63

      This Author & this blog are making a huge impact for saving many horses that would otherwise fall through the slaughterline cracks, EVERYONE PLEASE SHARE on your twitter, facebook & other blogs & copy & paste on many face book pages ( news, animals, caring for others , childrens, womans, pages ……) be creative & SHARE these stories you like, for the people who don’t know ( & many people even ones in the horse business ) have no idea what happens to these horses & it will open eyes for them & they might save one & for those of us who know, when they see these articles it can open up hearts & memories and prompt them to save a horse. JUST HIT SHARE EVERYONE !!!

  4. Debra Medlock

    I followed one of mine, too, and watched her spiral down the claiming ranks. Next stop seemed to be a Mexican slaughterhouse. Called the owner and the trainer and offered enough for them to sell her. She was back in my barn within 3 days (with a race in between) and she whinnied all the way down the road from the horse trailer even though she hadn’t been there in 2 yrs. Jumped off the trailer and dragged me all the way to the fence line to greet her friends. Best thing I ever did! Wish more breeders/owners would or could step up.

  5. lexi63

    ALL HORSES DESERVE THIS kind of commitment , they give their ALL to their owners , they do/ try what ever is asked of them ( that is just the nature of these loyal gorgeous beasts ), they deserve to be watched over and cared for by the people they served throughout the years, not what MOST of them get a horrifying ride to a foreign slaughterhouse to await a grotesque death . We need to hold more of these owners accountable for the ones that dump their animals without a care . there are way more of them then their are of this man., everyone use those tattoo numbers and call old trainers & owners, track them down .

  6. j.w.

    good 4 the both of u

  7. Darren Fish

    Awesome dedication and commuted love by a grateful owner. Bless Him.

  8. Marilyn Lee-Hannah

    This is wonderful…and yes, when there is that bond, horses do remember. I was once given back my first thoroughbred…primarily because the new owner saw and were stunned by the instant recognition the older show horse had with me…kind people who sense these things…we need more like them. Kudos all around!

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