N.S. harness racer guns for 3,500th career win

A harness racing driver from Shubenacadie, N.S., is on the verge of a major milestone — achieving 3,500 first-place finishes.

Danny Romo didn't snag win number 3,500 on Sunday as hoped. He'll have to wait until next weekend to race into the record books.

Romo, 59, said he has been racing since he was 18. Romo grew up at the races: his uncle raced, while his dad parked cars at the track.

"It's in your blood," said Romo. "I stayed home, I made a decent living, I had some good horses."

Romo has spent decades caring for his horses, and he did his own blacksmith's work.

"Horses is what I done my whole life," he said.

"It's just a love," said his wife, Susan Romo, who has been by her husband's side throughout his entire career. "It's just a passion that he's been born with since he was a teenager."

But Romo's career has taken a toll on his body.

"I had a lot of broken ankles, broken elbows, broken hands. I've been down a lot of times," he said.

Last year, he was out for two months following back surgery. Now, Romo said he feels better than ever.

"I thought 3,000 was kind of a goal, now I might hit 3,500," he laughs.

Romo said a lot has changed in the industry since he first started. Races used to run three days a week, allowing the riders to work on the sport fulltime. That's now been cut back to one day, with smaller crowds and smaller prizes.

But for Romo, he no longer has to worry about winning enough to support his family.

"It doesn't matter how much money, it's just nice to win a race," he said.

As for the milestone, Romo isn't making a big deal about his upcoming achievement.

"The wife gets a little bit more excited about this stuff," he joked. "I'm definitely going to do it as long as I can do it."

"I'd kind of like to scale down a bit," said Danny Romo. "I keep saying that, but the owners keep buying me horses."

Romo said he estimates he has at least another 500 first-place finishes in him before he retires.