Romanik, Spatz team up for another Neolithic score

Former Gulfstream Park and Hialeah attorney David Romanik and his trainer and often co-owner Ron Spatz have enjoyed great success with runners by Pleasant Acres stallions. The latest is Peppermint Man, a 4-year-old Neolithic gelding who went wire-to-wire in a one mile race on the turf at Gulfstream.

Diego Herrera was aboard Peppermint Man, who battled head-and-head with favorite Operation Torch through a half in :45.91 and three quarters in 1:09.39 before Peppermint Man left the 3/2 shot behind, then prevailed by a head in 1:34.83 over a fast-closing 60-1 shot. Romanik collected $19,000 for the score, which jumped his gelding’s earnings to $53,880 on a record of 2-2-0 in 10 starts. He paid $5.00.