Columnist Ralph Siraco: Hallowed Dreams still running strong

Ralph Siraco

Monday, June 25, 2001 | 9:41 a.m.

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday in the Las Vegas Sun, and his Southern California selections run Tuesday-Sunday. Reach him c/o Las Vegas Sun, 2275 Corporate Circle Drive, Suite 300,Henderson, NV 89014.

Just about a year ago, we wrote about a little filly from Louisiana that had just reached a summit in the Sport of Kings -- joining racing's historic equine icons Citation and Cigar.

The filly, Hallowed Dreams, had just won her 16th straight race -- undefeated at the time -- to tie the modern-day consecutive win streak that was first set by Citation in 1948-49 and then later equaled by Cigar in 1994-96.

Well, that little filly isn't so little any more, and she has ventured out of Cajun Country to attract as much attention from the 10-gallon, long-neck beer crowd as their beloved Dallas Cowboys.

This heifer turned as many heads in the Lone Star State as the entire squad of Cowboy cheerleaders at halftime of a Super Bowl.

On Saturday, at Lone Star Park -- in the township of Grand Prairie, Texas, a suburb between Dallas and Fort Worth -- Hallowed Dreams improved her career record to 23 wins in 24 lifetime starts when she won the Miller Lite Stakes over the track's turf course.

The once flighty, hard-to-handle filly that co-owner and trainer Lloyd Romero paid $15,000 for had just banked the winner's share of the $75,000 purse to push her lifetime earnings to $664,944 -- a return on investment of $629,944, to date.

But to refresh your memory, when last we wrote, Hallowed Dreams was still on her way through the record books with No. 17 as her next stop.

That came Aug. 12, 2000, at Evangeline Downs in Lafayette, La., at the very race track where she started her auspicious streak to fame.

A perfect six-for-six since her debut there May 20, 1999, Hallowed Dreams was set to pass the super "C's" when the racing gods reminded us that she was just flesh and bone.

With history awaiting and at 10 cents-on-the-dollar, Hallowed Dreams would bobble soon after the start, then following a lackluster early duel, packed in the record, the money and the dream to finish third.

She returned to reaffirm her tenacity with a daylight runaway victory at Louisiana Downs in October. Trying the turf for the first time, she won by eight lengths in a near-course record time. Romero would run her once more to finish up 2000 with another victory -- this time at the Fair Grounds on Dec. 29.

So, the daughter of Malagra out of the mare Pacific's Dream never missed a beat as she continued on a new multi-win streak that brought her to number six on Saturday.

She accounted for the Feb. 10 Pan Zareta Handicap and the March 17 Victoria Lass Stakes at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

Then she squeaked by with a neck victory in an allowance outing at Evangeline on April 29 before a solid victory in the $100,000 Valid Expectation at Lone Star Park on May 28.

At 4-years-old, Romero feels she's a better filly right now than she has ever been, and, to that end, predicted a world-record performance for the five furlong turf feature before Saturday's race.

Although she did not deliver on the new world mark -- stopping the clock in 56:03 -- Hallowed Dreams once again provided another winners circle picture for an already crowded den wall. Romero said after her 2 1/2-length win over Sweet and Firm, "We didn't get the record, but she ran the way she was supposed to."

She ran the way she was supposed to every time except once -- so far.

Sent postward as the prohibitive 2-to-5 favorite, Hallowed Dreams created a minus show pool of $45,070 triggered by her faithful backers who were glad to bet the ranch for a $2.10 payoff on a $2 show bet.

If you think the Hallowed Dreams story is waiting for Hollywood, well, Romero is no stranger to big screen documentation of a fairytale life. Romero's larger-than-life exploits while training quarter horses was portrayed by Walter Matthau in the 1978 movie "Casey's Shadow."

Jockey Sylvester Carmouche, who has ridden Hallowed Dreams in all but her first two starts, adds to the storyline.

The lanky rider was banned from racing for more than 8 1/2 years for attempting to fix a race.

On a foggy day at Evangeline Downs in 1990, Carmouche hid his horse at the top of the stretch and waited for the field to round the final turn before cutting his fresh horse loose for a lopsided and suspicious win.

Romero was among those who went to bat and got the Lafayette native reinstated. True to his character, Romero says that Carmouche will have the mount on Hallowed Dreams as long as he wants.

"He (Carmouche) has paid his debut. People got no business calling him the 'fog jockey' anymore," Romero said.

They know him as the "Hallowed Dreams" jockey now.

Romero also has his own take on the pressures of having a filly with such a record. For those who want him to take her to New York or California, Romero reminds them that planes fly both ways. And, as far as the money, well, Romero added, "How much does it cost to bury you? About $5,000, and I got that."

He is the only one Hallowed Dreams hasn't buried.