The Torch Had Been Passed To Nick Vaccarezza

[Wandering Eyes]

A Grade III stakes race that is on the 'Road to the Kentucky Derby' isn't exactly the easiest place for a trainer to start his career, but that's what Nick Vaccarezza, 25, will be doing when he sends out Golden Afternoon (Goldencents) in Saturday's Lecomte Stakes at Fair Grounds.

The 25-year-old trainer is in this position because his father, Carlo, has decided to step away from training to focus his attention on trying to save racing in South Florida. The situation could be dire because of the tenuous future of Gulfstream Park.

Carlo Vaccarezza is making the move at a time when his training career is pointed in the right direction. Also an owner, he won 13 races in 2024 at 25% clip for his starters. But he is convinced that his son is ready to take over.

“He's ready,” Carlo said. “He's worked for Chad Brown and he worked for me for many years. We are also blessed to have Mike Dilger as a part of the team. He will be working closely with Nick. So far as the transition and the race on Saturday, if you're going to start doing this what would be better than starting off with a bang?”

Carlo Vaccarezza began as an owner and won the 2012 GI Breeders' Cup Turf with Little Mike (Spanish Style), who was trained by Dale Romans. Being around top horses like Little Mike was a thrill for the younger Vaccarezza, who knew from an early age that he wanted to be part of the business.

He apprenticed under both Chad Brown and his father.

Nick Vaccarezza with Mike Dilger | courtesy of Michael Dilger

“Chad really wanted me to go with the vets and listen and learn from them,” Nick said. “He wanted me to learn the things you can't learn just by working in the barn. I got the experience of working for a top trainer, which was great. When you are a part of that operation there are so many moving parts and things going on you have to be on top of things. I'm blessed to have been involved in that operation for as long as I was. I know that my quality of work resembles Chad's.”

Hanging up his shingle, Nick's shedrow will start with 14 horses. While growth is in the cards, he said he is in no hurry to do so. Nick knows that the key to success is to have quality over quantity in his barn.

“The horses make the trainers and the horses make the jockeys,” he said. “I'm not in any rush to have 100 horses or something like that. I'd rather have 50 good ones than have 50 good ones and 50 bad ones. The key is to keep the percentage up and run them where they belong and where they can win. At the end of the day this business is all about winning.”

His father–who also owns the Lexington restaurant Frank & Dino's–has a lot on his plate, but Nick said he will remain a part of the team.

“At the end of the day, the boss is the owner,” Nick said. “He can run the horses wherever he wants to. The trainer can have an opinion, but not the final word.”

Carlo Vaccarezza worries what the sport will be like 15 years from now, when Nick will still be a relatively young trainer. Like so many others, he understands that the closing of Gulfstream could have severe consequences, not just in Florida but for the entire sport. He wants to make sure that doesn't happen.

“I've stepped away from training for a few reasons,” Carlo said. “Considering what's going on at Gulfstream, I feel I have a responsibility to help with the situation in South Florida. If they decouple and there is no more racing there that would set a terrible precedent and really hurt racing in the future.”

Golden Afternoon breaks his maiden on debut at Kentucky Downs | Coady Media

So that's how and why the door opened for Nick. Golden Afternoon, who is co-owned by his father, Eddie and Pat Greco, Scott Jaffe and Michael Cloonan is 20-1 in the morning line for the Lecomte, but that is more a reflection of the fact that he's never run on the dirt. The $70,000 OBS April buy has made three starts, winning last out in an allowance race in New Orleans Nov. 28. Before that he was the runner-up in the GII Castle & Key Bourbon Stakes at Keeneland Oct. 6.

“The horse is really talented,” Nick said. “He'll breeze three quarters in 1:13 without being asked. We're not going to force him to run in the Derby or be a Derby horse. This is the right time to find some things out so we can start to plot his year out This horse is a gelding, so we're trying to develop a racehorse and not necessarily a 3-year-old.”

A win, or even a good showing, would likely lead to starts in other Derby preps. But if he doesn't run well, a return to the grass would likely be the next step. Either way would be fine with the younger Vaccarezza. He's not looking to be an overnight sensation. But he confirmed that the gelding is ready and that it's time to prove he can keep the momentum rolling after his father had a career year.

We're off on Global Tote Day at Kentucky Downs!

Golden Afternoon wins race one, named for BetMakers, with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. aboard. Carlo Vaccarezza trains the colt for owners Pat Greco, Scott Jaffe, Michael Cloonan and Vaccarezza Racing, LLC.#KyDowns pic.twitter.com/gOtqGHN8ml

— Kentucky Downs (@KYDownsRacing) September 8, 2024

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