Richard Migliore was born in 1964 and spent the first 10 years of his life in Sheepshead Bay, a neighborhood in Brooklyn. When he was 11, his family moved to a larger house in Bay Shore, NY.
Read more about the sports life of the jockey at i-brooklyn.
First riding lessons
Little Migliore enjoyed riding his bike along the road that stretched to Hunting Hollow Farm, where the training of horses took place. The farm was managed by a man named Hugh Cassidy, who let the boy work with horses and taught him how to ride. Before turning 13, Migliore and some of his friends bought ponies and started a business offering rides on these small horses. Unexpectedly, pony rides turned into pony races that took place at the sports fields of the Brentwood schools. The boys trained the ponies, charging $5 for participation in the races. Once, Richard saw on TV how W. Shoemaker won the Marlboro Cup riding a horse named Forego. It inspired him to become a jockey. Richard was only 5 feet 4 inches and weighed 112 pounds.
He got his first job and learned how to ride a racehorse from trainer S. A. DiMauro. His first race took place on September 29, 1980, and less than a month later, he gained victory on Good Grip horse at Meadowlands Racetrack. 17-year-old Richard won the Eclipse Award in 1981 as the leading apprentice jockey. On May 30, 1988, a tragic accident occurred. The boy was thrown from a horse named Madam Alydar at Belmont Park and almost broke his neck. In July 1999, he fractured his right arm at the same park and dropped out of racing for six months.
Passion for yoga
His mare, Paulina, fell on him just two days before the Breeders’ Cup race at Lone Star Park in Texas. Nevertheless, he still participated in the sprint, riding on Bwana Charlie. In the Breeders’ Cup Mile, he rode on Artie Schiller. It was revealed later that he had a broken wrist, ribs and pelvis. But it did not matter to Richard, as his desires blinded his logic. After that, he took up yoga for two months, which he grew to love.
In 1981 and 1985, Migliore received the New York Turf Association’s Eddie Arcaro Award for being an excellent jockey. In 2003, he was honored with Mike Venezia Memorial Award from the New York Racing Association for “extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship.” In 2005, he was again named the top jockey of the year by the NY Thoroughbred Association. Richard participated in 58 races aboard the best horses bred in New York. His prize amounted to $2,246,398.
Two plates and eight screws in the neck
Victories continued, and, in 2005, Richard won the spring competition at Aqueduct Racetrack. On February 4, 2005, he gained his 4000 victory. On that day, he was riding Hurricane Erica and Benjamin Baby, winning two times. Migliore became the 18th jockey to achieve such results and the 43rd in American history to win so many races. After a lengthy career on the East Coast, Migliore announced in October 2006 that he would continue riding on tracks in California. His first ride at Hollywood Park Racetrack took place on November 15. On February 23, 2008, Migliore was awarded the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award. In the summer of 2008, the jockey decided to return to the East Coast for a meeting in Saratoga. After that, Migliore moved to New York. On May 4, 2010, he underwent surgery due to a fall from a horse. As a result, two plates and eight screws were put in his neck. He achieved victory in 4450 races, including 362 stakes and 25 Grade 1 races.