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Jockey Tony Vega, Monmouth Park's leading rider in 1983 with a then-record 134 victories, passed away on Monday following a brief illness.
(Saed Hindash/The Star-Ledger)
Jockey Tony Vega, who topped Monmouth Park's rider standings with a then-record 134 victories in 1983, passed away Monday following a brief illness. He was 52.
Vega, born and raised in New Brunswick, finished second in the Eclipse Award voting for leading apprentice in 1983, when his victory total at Monmouth broke the track's previous record of 125, set by Jimmy Edwards in 1975.
"I remember him as a gregarious guy," said John Forbes, who won five training titles at Monmouth from 1979-91 and now is part of the horseman's group that runs the track. "He was a `come at you' kind of guy -- with no malice in his heart. I hate to use a dried-up cliche but he was full of life."
Vega rode in New Jersey as recently as 2012, managing a third-place finish from six mounts that year.
Funeral arrangements are pending.