Romero inducted into Hall of Fame

PHOTOGRAPHER: Mike MacAdam

Jockey Randy Romero and the horses Azeri, Best Pal and Point Given will be inducted into the National Racing Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs on Aug. 13.

Romero, 52, won 4,294 races in a career that began in 1973 and concluded in 1999. He was the regular rider of two of the most spectacular fillies of his era, Go for Wand and the undefeated Personal Ensign, both of whom Romero will join in the Hall of Fame.

Azeri, the 2002 Horse of the Year, was an 11-time Grade I winner, including the 2002 Breeders’ Cup Distaff, three straight Apple Blossoms and the 2004 Go for Wand at Saratoga at the age of 6.

Point Given won Horse of the Year at 3 in 2001, when he became the fifth horse to win the Preakness, Belmont and Travers.

Based in California, Best Pal is one of only four horses to win the Santa Anita Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup and Strub Stakes.