Tony Vega (jockey)

Tony Vega
Occupation	Jockey
Born	(1961-04-21)April 21, 1961 New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
Died	November 11, 2013(2013-11-11) (aged 52) New Brunswick, New Jersey, United States
Career wins	713[1]
Major racing wins
The Iroquois Handicap 1983 (Keystone Park) The Grantville stakes (Penn National) 1983 The Tosmah stakes 1983 (Monmouth Park) The Mayfair stakes 1983 (Keystone Park) The Hit It Rich stakes 1984 (Keystone Park) All American Handicap (Garden State Park) (1985) Ambassador of Luck Handicap (Monmouth Park) (1985) Philadelphia Handicap (Garden State Park) (1985) Ashley T. Cole Handicap (Aqueduct Racetrack) (1988) Martha Washington Handicap (Laurel Park) (1988) The World Appeal stakes (Meadowlands Racetrack) 1993
Racing awards
New Jersey Racing Writers "Apprentice Jockey of The Year" (1983) New Jersey Sports Writers Association "Pro Rookie of The Year" 1984 (First jockey ever to win award) Philadelphia Sportswriters Awards "Outstanding Amateur Athlete of The Year" 1984
Honors
Champion jockey at Keystone Park - 1983 Champion jockey at Monmouth Park - 1983 Champion Apprentice for wins in U.S. 1983 Eclipse Award (Apprentice jockey) runner up -1984 Honored as Thoroughbred Racings representative - The Philadelphia Sportswriters Awards - 1984
Significant horses
Evzone, Precisionist, Timely Business

Antonio "Tony" Vega (April 21, 1961 – November 11, 2013) was a Puerto Rican American Thoroughbred jockey and community activist from New Brunswick, New Jersey. He was a graded stakes winning, three-time champion jockey who competed in North American horse racing from 1982 to 2012.^[2][3][4]

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. 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.