Heavy hitters reside at Monmouth Park

Jul 3, 2012 - 5:31 PM Oceanport, NJ (Sports Network) - Two of the biggest names in thoroughbred training have established their 2012 summer homes at Monmouth Park. Trainers Bret Calhoun and Dale Romans are enjoying the Jersey Shore track for the summer racing season.

"I'll be here for the rest of the summer. I'll make this my base now and travel from here," said Calhoun after arriving from Kentucky. "I've never based my operation at Monmouth before but now it makes the most sense."

Calhoun lit up the tote board at the 2010 Breeders' Cup by winning the Turf Sprint with Chamberlain Bridge and the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint with Dubai Majesty.

Both Calhoun and Romans needed a place to stable their horses after the Churchill Downs spring/summer meet ended on Sunday. Prior to this summer Calhoun had been headquartered at Delaware Park.

"The management here is great," said Calhoun, "and very cooperative. There are a lot of options here with so many tracks located within only a couple of hours. Ideally, I would like to run every horse out of the stall, but it doesn't always work out that way."

Assistant trainer Tom Morgan was in charge of the Monmouth Park group until the head guy showed up. Calhoun brought five more horses to bring the total string to 30.

Dale Romans became nationally known last year when Shackleford won the Preakness Stakes over Kentucky Derby champ Animal Kingdom. This year the Louisville native saddled Dullahan to victory in the Blue Grass Stakes and a third-place finish in the Run for the Roses.

Dullahan, seventh in the Belmont Stakes, will be among the starters in the $1 million Haskell Invitational on Sunday, July 29. His main rivals are expected to be Bodemeister, runner-up in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and Belmont Stakes winner Union Rags.