Richard Migliore made 2,238 trips to the winner's circle at Aqueduct Racetrack during his 31-year career as a jockey, more than any rider in the track's storied history.
"Aqueduct was the beginning of everything for me. I went there and knew right away what I wanted to do with the rest of my life," said Migliore, a 10-time leading rider at the track. "I grew up eight miles away and will never forget going there with my father as a kid. All you'd hear on the train ride was people talking about the daily double at Aqueduct. I fell in love with the place. I fell in love with the sport there - and I've been in love with the game ever since."
Sunday, June 28, will be a bittersweet day for Migliore and millions of fans who have been a part of New York racing history at the track affectionately known as the Big A. Aqueduct Racetrack, which opened its doors to the public on September 27, 1894, will close its doors forever at the conclusion of the June 28 card. The track's closure will consolidate The New York Racing Association, Inc.'s (NYRA) operations to the new Belmont Park, which will open on September 18, and historic Saratoga Race Course.
Although its time will come to an end, the profound impact of Aqueduct cannot be understated. Its history includes immortals of the American Turf such as Man o' War, Kelso, Secretariat, Cigar, James "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons, Allen Jerkens, Eddie Arcaro, Angel Cordero, Jr., and countless others. Iconic events, including the Breeders' Cup and a papal mass, have been held at the Big A. The Belmont Stakes passed through, as did some Hollywood productions, including A Bronx Tale and the famous "Pie-O-My" episode of The Sopranos. It's been a hell of a run that won't soon be forgotten.
"I've always felt that Aqueduct has been a bit underrated, an underdog track if you know what I mean," said Migliore who won 4,450 races in his career and is now a television commentator for NYRA's America's Day at the Races program. "The best and most knowledgeable fans in the sport that I've encountered are typically at Aqueduct. They know the game and they're tough. They can get on you, but when they do, it's not without reason. They absolutely understand the nuances of racing and are incredibly passionate about it. Aqueduct has been such an amazing blue-collar track and, really, the heart of New York racing."
Aqueduct's origins were humble, especially in comparison to other ancient New York metropolitan tracks such as Jerome Park and Morris Park, which were known for their opulence and high-society patrons. Three men with no previous association to racing - Francis Reilly, a deputy fire chief in Harlem; Thomas Reilly, an Albany lobbyist; and Robert Tucker, a Brooklyn businessman who ran a Sheepshead Bay hotel - were responsible for establishing Aqueduct under the name of the Queens County Jockey Club. They put up $50,000 to lease 23 acres from Nicholas Ryder on farmland that formerly belonged to the old Brooklyn Water Works. The property was home to a conduit that brought water to New York City from the Hempstead Plain on eastern Long Island. Naming the place Aqueduct seemed pretty logical.
The track's first grandstand was a modest structure with seating for 2,000. Grandeur was not a consideration for the fledgling operation. When Aqueduct opened for racing, Ryder was still growing crops in the infield that he was farming. Originally a six-furlong track, Aqueduct was not initially recognized by The Jockey Club, which was also just recently established and would only sanction tracks that were one mile or more. Aqueduct was therefore designated an "outlaw track."
Future Hall of Fame trainer James "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons, whose two Triple Crown winners, Gallant Fox and Omaha, both won races at Aqueduct, was among the crowd of about 700 fans and eight bookmakers present for the track's opening-day card of six races. Sunny Jim, who was 20 years old at the time and just beginning his training career, recalled his initial impressions of Aqueduct years later, saying the track " ... looked like a shanty on stilts, and for a lawn, it had a sort of boardwalk affair." Spectators standing on the lawn closest to the track positioned themselves on wooden boards so they would not sink into the deep mud.
Somehow, Aqueduct found a way to survive and incrementally grow during its modest early years. Phillip J. Dwyer, president of the Brooklyn Jockey Club, which operated the Gravesend track, led an ownership group that acquired Aqueduct in 1905. Thomas Reilly, who served as Aqueduct's first president, died the prior year, and Dwyer succeeded him in that role. Dwyer and his partners proceeded to lease and subsequently purchase additional acreage, rebuild the grandstand, and expand the track to 1 1/4-miles. In 1911, after racing in New York was shut down because of antigambling legislation, Gravesend closed and some of its major races were transferred to Aqueduct when racing resumed in 1914. Dwyer remained Aqueduct's president until his death in 1917. The race formerly known as the Brooklyn Derby was renamed the Dwyer Stakes in 1918.
Man o' War won a pair of stakes at Aqueduct in 1919 - the Hudson and Tremont - and returned the following year to defeat John P. Grier in the Dwyer before a crowd of 25,000. It was the most difficult race of Man o' War's undefeated 3-year-old season of 10 starts. John P. Grier, who set a track record in the Aqueduct Handicap that year, pushed Man o' War mercilessly through the nine furlongs of the Dwyer, but in the end Man o' War prevailed by 1 1/2-lengths and stopped the watch in 1:49 1/5, a world record.
One of Aqueduct's most famous races has been the Carter Handicap, first run in 1895. Originally for 3-year-olds at 1 1/4-miles, it was shortened in 1902 to seven furlongs, at which it has remained. In 1944, the first triple dead-heat in a stakes race occurred in the Carter when Bossuet, Brownie, and Wait a Bit hit the wire simultaneously.
Aqueduct was once again renovated in 1940 - the year pari-mutuel racing was approved in New York - under the leadership of John Cowdin. The track was shortened from 1 1/4-miles to one mile and the Dwyer era grandstand was demolished and rebuilt. Another renovation closed the track from 1956 to 1959. The grandstand was again torn down and an entirely new facility was built. While racing revenues were rising in other states, they were flat at the time in New York. Ashley T. Cole, who oversaw racing in the state at the time, pushed The Jockey Club to produce a solution to the stagnant situation. A committee comprised of Christopher Chenery, Harry Guggenheim, and John Hanes was formed to address the issue. The trio believed New York racing could be bolstered by a modern facility and a small reduction in the state's take of the track's revenue.
From this, the Greater New York Association [later renamed The New York Racing Association, Inc.] was formed, and a $47 million loan was obtained. The loan funds allowed the association to purchase the privately held stock of Aqueduct, Belmont, Jamaica, and Saratoga to begin operating those tracks in 1956. Jamaica was sacrificed as part of the restructuring and permanently closed in the summer of 1959 to make way for the upgraded Aqueduct.
On September 14, 1959, after completion of the $34.5 million renovation, Aqueduct reopened to a crowd of 42,473. The new facility featured a four-tier grandstand designed by renowned track architects Arthur Froehlich and Associates of Beverly Hills, California. State-of-the-art for its day, the upgrades included 18 escalators and an elevator, 20,000 seats in the grandstand and another 14,000 in air-conditioned restaurants and lounges. The Associated Press called it "the world's most modern and luxurious horse plant." On the opening card, future Hall of Famer Hillsdale won the featured Aqueduct Handicap, defeating Bald Eagle; Bill Shoemaker won the daily double; and Eddie Arcaro won the first turf race. A couple of weeks later, in a battle of future Hall of Famers in the Woodward Stakes, Sword Dancer defeated Round Table. A month after that, Sword Dancer trounced Round Table by seven lengths in the Jockey Club Gold Cup to clinch Horse of the Year honors.
Hall of Famer Kelso, winner of five consecutive Horse of the Year honors [1960 through 1964], earned 20 of his 39 career victories, including four of his five straight wins in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, at Aqueduct. Other legends of the 1960s at Aqueduct included Hall of Famers Buckpasser and Dr. Fager. Buckpasser made a dozen trips to the winner's circle at the Big A, while Dr. Fager won the Vosburgh, Roseben, and Suburban in 1968 en route to Horse of the Year honors and recognition as Champion Older Horse, Champion Sprinter, and Champion Grass Horse.
More than 48,000 fans paid tribute to "Sunny Jim" Fitzsimmons at Aqueduct on June 15, 1963, almost 70 years after his appearance there on the track's opening day in 1894. He was presented a silver tray with the names of all 148 stakes winners he trained during his incomparable career. That same year, Aqueduct played host to the Belmont Stakes for the first of five consecutive editions of the race while Belmont Park was being reconstructed. Quadrangle thwarted Northern Dancer's Triple Crown bid in 1964 while Amberoid denied Kauai King's Triple Crown attempt two years later.
Secretariat had a mixed experience at Aqueduct. He finished fourth in his career debut on July 4, 1972, then broke his maiden in a six-length romp 11 days later. He went on to win the Bay Shore and Gotham the following year, then was upset in the Wood Memorial before becoming the first horse in a quarter-century to sweep the Triple Crown. A retirement party for Big Red with 30,000 fans in attendance was held at the Big A on November 6, 1973, prior to the beginning of his stud career at Claiborne Farm.
The second edition of the Breeders' Cup took place at Aqueduct in 1985. A one-day event at the time, a crowd of 42,568 saw Proud Truth win the Classic. Other highlights of the day included future Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas winning the first two of what would eventually be a remarkable 20 Breeders' Cup victories for the trainer.
A decade later, Pope John Paul II held mass at Aqueduct. The New York Times noted both the peculiarity of the location and it's winning traits, reporting, "Not far from the altar, on the edge of most worshipers' fields of vision, were scoreboards with words and phrases - "odds," "track conditions" - that betrayed the usual function of the track. But Aqueduct had its advantages as well for the estimated crowd of 75,000. Its oval infield served as a green, immaculately tended meadow that encircled the 300-foot-wide papal platform and flanked it with two man-made lakes. At the center of each was a fountain that sprayed water into the air."
The year before the Pope's visit, Cigar was at Aqueduct on October 28, 1994, beginning a 16-race win streak with a seven-length allowance score. He dazzled again a month later, cruising by eight lengths in the NYRA Mile, which was renamed the Cigar Mile upon the retirement of the Bill Mott trainee.
The Wood Memorial has been Aqueduct's signature spring race and traditionally a key prep for the Kentucky Derby. The race produced three Derby winners in a four-year span in Fusaichi Pegasus [2000], Monarchos [2001], and Funny Cide [2003]. Monarchos and Funny Cide both lost in the Wood before winning the Run for the Roses. First contested in 1925, the Wood has been won by 15 Hall of Fame horses, including 2026 inductee Gulch, who won the 1987 running.
New York City's first casino opened adjacent to Aqueduct in 2011. A cut of the revenue from the Resorts World video-lottery terminal facility earmarked for NYRA has been integral in elevating purses and investing in facilities at NYRA properties.
Migliore will be among the thousands of fans expected to be in attendance for Aqueduct's swan song. He will fondly reminisce while also looking forward to New York racing's new downstate home at Belmont Park.
"I have no doubt the new Belmont is going to be nothing short of magnificent. I can't wait for racing to begin there because the place is going to be like nothing we've ever had before," Migliore said. "However, that change comes with the price of losing a big piece of our history, but times change. Aqueduct has always been New York City's racetrack - that's how I'll remember it."
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) will say farewell to Aqueduct Racetrack with a memorable Closing Weekend celebration on Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28. For a full listing of onsite activities and to order tickets in advance, please visit https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/visit/farewell/.
This press release has not been edited by BloodHorse. If there are any questions please contact the organization that produced the release.
