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, I , , j ROMANELLI A REAL VETERAN I Has Ridden for Over Twenty-five i Years and Is Still Going. AVas Troniinent in the Heyday of Racing : Around Chicago Also Rode in South America. It is no uncommon thing in European countries for jockeys to continue active in their chosen calling until well along in years. The scale of weights is higher than in this country, enabling the jockeys to ride much longer without injuring their health by ex-; ccssive reducing. In the United States the majority of our jockeys have to retire after from five to ten years of active participation in the saddle, the low scale and increasing weight forcing them to other lines of endeavor. There are a number of exceptions, and a notable one is jockey Roscoe Roman-elli, who is now riding at the Fair Grounds, New Orleans. He has been in the saddle for approximtely twenty-five years, and despite his age, 43 years, is as alert and rides as hard as any youngster at the track. Romanelli has been a fortunate rider. In all the years of riding, both in America and South America, he has only had two falls. One took place at Buenos Aires, when his mount bolted into a fence, and the other accident occurred at Aqueduct race track, near New York, when his horse crossed his legs and fell. In both mishaps Romanelli was not seriously injured. In the early days of racing around Chicago, when Washington Park, Harlem, Robey, Hawthorne and Worth were under the jurisdiction of the Western Jockey Club, Romanelli was a prominent factor as a rider. He rode in nearly all the important events in those days and was a successful rider. He rode his maiden race at" Worth, and after riding around Chicago for several years got an offer to ride for a prominent South American merchant in Buenos Aires. The Italian jockey rode horses in Peru, Chili, Argentina and Buenos Aires for ten years. Then he decided to come back to America, and for the last few years has been riding at nearly all of the principal tracks in the East and South. They call Romanelli the "old man of the turf," but he resents this appellation. He feels that, so far as getting his mount away from the barrier, and if he has a good horse under him, no one can beat him in jockey-ship. "No person should say he is getting old as long as he feels alert and is anxious to ride," said Romanelli recently. "Of course, many horsemen do not like the idea of giving a jockey mounts when he passes a certain age, but I obtain mounts not as many as I would like and have been fairly successful. No matter how good a jockey may be, if he has not the good horse under him the boy is not going to win races. It is the horse that makes the jockey, not the jockey himself. I have often ridden horses in my career which have been made false favorites and I would not win. The general public would be under the impression that I was either incompetent or rode a listless race, but this is not true. "Every rider wants to win as many races as he can. It is to his credit. The more winners he rides the more he is financially rewarded, and with success comes reputa-i tion, which means that horsemen seek you to ride their thoroughbreds. A boy who is dishonest in this business does not last long. He proves only a flash in the pan." Romanelli is small in stature, has a keen sense of humor and greets every one with a smile.
