Just a little over a week ago, the thoroughbred jockey colony lost one of the most classy and well respected members of their community when Richard Migliore announced his retirement from riding during a press conference just before the Belmont Stakes draw in New York. In a career than span nearly thirty years, injuries had taken a toll on the body of the 46 year old rider and a recent neck surgery forced his racing career to a close. It spelled the end to great story of a “not your average” jockey in a racing colony full of Hall of Fame riders on the nation’s toughest racing circuit. It was one that traces back to the racing of the 70’s and one young boy’s quest to become a jockey.
A city born boy, his love for animals developed into a love for the equine animal. After watching Forego in his youth, he knew right then that he wanted to become a thoroughbred jockey. His racing career started in the summer of 1980 and less than a month later had won his first career race at Meadowlands Racetrack aboard Good Grip. The following year in 1981, he was voted top apprentice jockey. His career would flourish on the NYRA circuit and become one its leading jockey’s throughout the next decade. But, things would change very quickly at the age of 24 and not for the good.
On May 30th 1988, Richard would be involved in a spill at Belmont Park and his life would change very quickly. The injury was considered a life threatening one and quite possibly a career ending one also. This very serious neck injury was highlighted in an episode of Rescue 911 a few years later and what could have had most riders down for an extended period of time, had Richard back riding in less than six months. After suffering an arm injury in 1999, he also was injured two days before the Breeder’s Cup races at Lone Star Park that year. He rode injured with his two mounts and discovered later that he had a broken wrist.
He has won many accolades as a jockey on the New York circuit throughout his career with many awards. For a brief time a few years back, he switched his racing tack to the west coast in California . But, his real love was in New York and less than two years later returned to the place he loved the most! On February 23, 2008 it was announced that he won the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, a vote of his peers from coast to coast. The Woolf Award is one of the most coveted trophies in all of racing, honoring riders whose careers and personal character earn esteem for the individual and the sport of Thoroughbred racing. On October of 2008, he finally won his first Breeder’s Cup race aboard Desert Code in the Sprint race. All in all, Richard has won over 4,450 races in his career including 362 stakes and 25 grade I events. One of his last mounts before his most recent surgery was aboard our very own; Dee Tee Stables; Lloydobler at Aqueduct this spring and it was an honor to have the “Mig” aboard a horse that I have an interest in. But after his surgery because of a fall only a few months earlier, his doctors had to fuse areas in his neck and thus forcing him into retirement.
But, still at the young age of 46 he still has a long career a head of him in the thoroughbred industry. Sad because he’ll never be able to do the thing he loved the most, his press conference was a very bittersweet event. But, the class that Richard Migliore showed in 30 years of racing is the thing I’ll always remember about him. He’ll be missed by the fans of New York , but the Hall of Fame will await him someday.
No comments:
Post a Comment