Death of top pacer Roman Gladiator

Quality harness racing pacer Roman Gladiator (Christian Cullen) had to be put down recently at co-trainer Robin Swain’s property at Otama.

“He was having problems getting up with his crook back hip,” Swain said.

Swain bought him for $20,000 at the yearling sales. He and co-trainer Colin Baynes developed him to win nineteen races.

“I thought because he was by Christian Cullen it’d be worth having a crack. I remember Denice (his sister) saying that the mother, Assisi, was a very good two year old. She had seen her a bit when she was at Ashburton.”

And like his mother and father Roman Gladiator showed he could also run early.

“I took him into the Gore track one day because I’d never sped him up at home and he ran a quarter round Gore in 26.8. I thought ‘well, we’ve got something here’ because that was the first time we’d asked him to run.”

Roman Gladiator was raced by Swain, his wife Amanda and good friends from Sydney, Peter and Marie Neil.

“I was lucky to have Peter in the ownership because I probably would have sold him. We got offered some good money. Peter was in for the racing and didn’t need the money.”

As a two year old Roman Gladiator won the Group Two Welcome Stakes at Addington in 2003 while the following season his wins included the Group One NRM Sires Stakes Final, the 2004 Group Two Southern Supremacy Stakes at Winton, The NSW Derby Prelude and the $100,000 NSW Derby.

“In the prelude we got knocked over on the turn. We lost ground and got pushed six wide and back. Everyone couldn’t believe that he won because it’s a short straight and horses don’t normally win from there.”

From a career that included fifty five starts over seven seasons he won $424,516 and held two New Zealand records; the 2400 metre mobile record for three year olds when he won the Supremacy in 2-56.8, and the New Zealand 1950 metre mobile record of 2-20.4 which he posted in November 2003 at Addington.

“He wasn’t a genuine two miler, but the shorter distances were his go. He was the fastest horse I’ve ever driven for just sheer speed.”

Swain rates the NSW Derby and the Sires Stakes win as Roman Gladiators best performances.

“In the later years the ongoing back problems took the edge off him, but he still managed to win a few races.”

Co-trainer Robin Swain drove him to win ten times whilst Canterbury reinsman Colin DeFilippi drove him to win nine times.

“He’s taken us places we never would have gone, and we meet a lot of people through him.”

by Bruce Stewart