Tony Vega

He finished second that year in the voting for the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey, and was ranked 7th overall for wins in the U.S. and 29th on the list for earnings.

Tony Vega had never landed any mounts in any of the U.S. Triple Crown or Breeders' Cup races but did compete in some of America's most prestigious graded stakes events in American horse racing during his time.

Vega was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey to Carmen and Pedro Vega, who moved to New Jersey from Puerto Rico in the 1950s.

Antonio "Tony" Vega (April 21, 1961 – November 11, 2013) was a Puerto Rican American Thoroughbred jockey and community activist from New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Tony Vega was a top wrestler at New Brunswick High School in the late 1970s and a champion amateur boxer before becoming a jockey.

He became the winningest rider in Monmouth Park with 134 wins in a season, surpassing Don MacBeth's mark of 99 wins in a season, and breaking Jimmy Edwards record of 123 victories in a season established during an extended meet in 1975.

Vega became the first apprentice jockey ever to win Monmouth's riding title and, the first jockey to win 100 races in a single meet.

Vega shined shoes and worked as a dishwasher at the pub where one day, On the first Saturday in May, fans packed the pub to watch legendary jockey Angel Cordero Jr. guide Bold Forbes to victory in the 1976 Kentucky Derby.

Vega made an idle boast while watching Cordero celebrate after his derby victory saying, "I could be just as good as him if I had the chance".

A liquor salesman overheard him and took him seriously, introducing Vega to trainer Marty Fallon, who was known for bringing up young contract riders and teaching them everything there was to know about being a horseman before he allowed them to gallop horses in the morning and then become jockeys.

He was a graded stakes winning, three-time champion jockey who competed in North American horse racing from 1982 to 2012.

He did not have a racing background and had planned to become a professional boxer before he started his professional riding career in 1982.

Vega trained under Martin L. "Marty" Fallon at Pennsylvania's Keystone Racetrack.

Vega was also a self-taught martial arts student who studied Jeet Kune Do, an eclectic hybrid martial art, heavily influenced by the philosophy of Bruce Lee.

He was very active in the community and is remembered as tough, tiny, but tenacious kid who knew nothing about horse racing or becoming a jockey, until the day he met liquor salesman at the Uptown Cafe in New Brunswick.

Vega won his first race aboard Laudo at Philadelphia Park in Pennsylvania (now known as Parx Casino and Racing) on April 12, 1982, before going on a tear and winning 55 races en route to winning his first riding title during Keystone's winter-spring meet in 1983.

Vega then moved his tack to New Jersey, taking Monmouth Park by storm.

In 1983, he was the top apprentice jockey in the U.S. for wins, and was second in the nation for earnings with over $2 million in purse money.

As an apprentice, Vega won back to back riding titles at the (Keystone Park Winter-Spring meet (55 wins) & Monmouth Park Racetrack (134 wins), the first rider in Monmouth Park history to win 100 races in a season, the first apprentice jockey to win the riding title at Monmouth, the first jockey to lead the standings at three different racetracks at the same time (Keystone Park, Monmouth Park, Meadowlands Racetrack), and the first jockey to win six races in one day at Monmouth. Vega also broke twenty records that year, and became the first jockey to win the New Jersey Sports Writers Association's "Pro Rookie of The Year" award, along with being awarded the 1983 New Jersey Racing Writers "Apprentice Jockey of The Year" and being honored as Thoroughbred racing's representative at the 18th annual Philadelphia Sports Writers Association's awards ceremony.

Vega also won six races in a day on May 18, 1983 (five wins at Monmouth and one at Atlantic City Race Course later that night, and five races in a day twice in 1983. He was one of the first ever to do so. Vega also won three or more races in a day at Monmouth more than twenty times that summer, something that had only been done three times before.

In 1983, the Philadelphia Inquirer described Vega as the "leading apprentice" at Pennsylvania's Keystone Racetrack.

He had the most wins of any apprentice jockey in the U.S., and was second in the nation for earnings.

Vega was honored as Thoroughbred Racing's representative at the 18th annual Philadelphia Sportswriters Association's awards, won the 1983 New Jersey Racing Writers "Apprentice Jockey Of The Year" award and, the 1984 New Jersey Sports Writers Association's "Pro Rookie of The Year" award, becoming the first jockey ever to win the award.

In 1984, after winning back-to-back riding titles and breaking twenty records as an apprentice, Vega began his career as a journeyman and one of the most promising jockeys in the nation.

He was the leading jockey at Keystone Park for part of the meet before he moving his tack to Maryland after his falling out with his mentor, trainer Marty L. Fallon.

Vega also had constant issues with the Monmouth Park Racetrack stewards, and felt that he was being targeted by Sam Boulmetis Sr.., because of his reputation off of the racetrack.

In addition to becoming one of the nation's top riders, Vega was known as a no-nonsense kind of guy, with swift hands on a horse, and quick fist's in the jockey's room.

He had been nicknamed "The Baby Animal" as a teenager because of his size and attitude, and on the racetrack he was nicknamed "Tony Vee, The Honey Bee" because of his rendition of Muhammad Ali's famous poem, "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee" moniker that he used around the racetrack.

Vega was a popular figure and fan favorite on the East Coast racetrack's, known for his charismatic personality and his strong and stylish finishes during races.

Vega won the majority of his races aboard long shots and cheap horse's, rarely riding stakes race caliber horse's. Vega had a deft touch, and an uncanny ability to get horses to run the race of their lives's whenever he was aboard.

Down the stretch, Vega out rode some of the greatest jockeys of all time from the quarter pole home very often.

In 1985, Garden State Park Racetrack re-opened, and Vega, who was also riding regularly at Bowie Racetrack, Timonium, Laurel, and Pimlico, began working double duty and driving back and forth to New Jersey to ride at Atlantic City, the Meadowlands, and Garden State Park at night.

He did this after working horses in the mornings, and riding races during the afternoon in Maryland, and on certain day's driving to New Jersey to ride the night cards.

Vega won races at every track that he competed at that year.

Although his business had slowed down, Vega continued to win races at a steady clip and made the best of every opportunity presented to him.

On June 17, 1985, Vega was called on to replace veteran Jockey Craig Perret on a mare named Forest Maiden at Garden State Park Racetrack.

Vega and Forest Maiden went on to win the race that night in impressive fashion.

On June 22, 1985, Vega was named back on Forest Maiden and scored another victory on the mare, squeezing through on the rail for a come from behind victory in the "Ambassador of Luck Handicap" at Monmouth Park Racetrack in New Jersey.

After winning several races aboard Forest Maiden and several other horses for trainer Joe Pierce, Vega was named on a horse named Evzone in the first running of the All American Handicap at Garden State Park.

Vega finished 7th in the "U.S. Top 100" jockey standings for wins that year, and by the end of the season, finished second in the Eclipse Awards voting for "Outstanding Apprentice Jockey of The Year", edged for the national award in a split decision to Declan Murphy.