Richard Migliore Shares Experiences as a Jockey and Racing Analyst
Tucson, AZ — The Race Track Industry Program hosted former jockey and current television analyst Richard Migliore this week. Migliore offered his time to speak with students in the RTIP’s Race Track Marketing and Media Relations class, the Joe Hirsch Speaker Forum, and Advanced Animal Racing Laws and Enforcement.
Migliore, originally from Brooklyn, New York, grew up riding hunters and jumpers before he started working at the racetrack at age 14. He went on to win more than 4,000 races and has been awarded honors including the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey, the Mike Venezia Memorial Award, and the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award. He is currently a racing analyst for NYRA.
In the Marketing and Media Relations class, Migliore provided his perspective on how he feels horse racing should be marketed to the people. Among his proposals were improvements to customer service, food options, and track aesthetics as well as greater efforts to connect people, especially children, with horses. He also discussed the importance of teaching new gamblers about wagering options and the need for racing to take a proactive approach to equine welfare and aftercare.
In the Joe Hirsch Speaker Forum, Migliore talked about how he got involved in racing and his life as a contract rider. He entertained students with stories of his time as a jockey and provided advice for working in television, including the importance of being prepared and providing unique perspectives when providing race analyses.
For the final class, Advanced Animal Racing Laws and Enforcement, Migliore offered his opinions on various regulatory issues in racing including use of the whip, the use of mediations, and race-riding. Students were able to ask questions on topics ranging from riding styles in different countries to differences in riding on dirt, turf, and synthetic surfaces. They were fortunate to spend two days picking the brain of one of the top jockeys of the last 30 years.