Hall of Fame Jockey Randy Romero Dies

The Acadiana area, along with the state of Louisiana, and the world of horse racing, lost a true great recently.

Hall of Fame jockey Randy Romero died at the age of 61.

Romero, who died late Wednesday, entered hospice care in June, following a courageous battle with stomach cancer, which was diagnosed 2015.

A native of Erath, Romero began his career at Evangeline Downs in 1975, before going on to accumulate 4,285 career wins.

Romero claimed riding titles at every Louisiana track during his illustrious career, including Evangeline Downs, Delta Downs, Fair Grounds, Jefferson Downs and Louisiana Downs.

A force on the national scene as well, Romero was the regular rider of Hall of Fame horses such as Go For Wand and Personal Ensign, and was aboard three horses who captured Breeders Cup wins, accomplishing the feat in three-consecutive years.

After retiring in 1999 with 25 major riding titles at 10 different racetracks, including Belmont and Arlington, Romero was inducted into the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in 2005, prior to entering the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 2010.