Michael Manganello (born 1941 in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

) is a retired American

Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter known as National Hunt racing in t ...

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

Riding career

He got his start working for trainer Odie Clelland as a stable hand then began riding professionally in 1959 and earned his first win on March 3, 1960, at

Fair Grounds Race Course Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC. As early as 1838 Bernard de Marigny, Ju ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. On June 25, 1964, he rode five straight winners at Ohio's

Thistledown Racecourse Jack Thistledown Racino is a thoroughbred race track and casino in North Randall, Ohio, at the outskirts of the city of Cleveland. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by Jack Entertainment. History and Information The track came under the ...

. He was a long-time fan favorite at Florida Downs in

Oldsmar, Florida Oldsmar is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 13,591. The Oldsmar name dates to April 12, 1916 when automobile pioneer Ransom E. Olds purchased of land by the northern part of Ta ...

where he won four races on a single day on February 15, 1968, set a season record with 75 wins in 1969, and by 1975 had won six riding titles.A record that has not been surpassed as of 2023. His five wins in the

Turfway Park Fall Championship Stakes The Fall Championship Stakes was an American Grade III Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky. Open to horses age three and older, it was contested on Polytrack synthetic dirt. It had been part of the Breeders ...

is the most by any jockey as of 2023 . In 1970, Mike Manganello won the

Blue Grass Stakes The Blue Grass Stakes, currently the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes due to sponsorship by the Toyota Motor Corporation, is a horse race for 3-year-old Thoroughbreds held annually in April at Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky. The race is run ...

Keeneland Race Course Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for its ...

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

aboard

Dust Commander Dust Commander (February 8, 1967 – October 7, 1991) was an American Thoroughbred race horse. Background The name "Dust Commander" is derived from his dam, Dust Storm, and his sire, Bold Commander. A descendant of Nearco, Dust Commander was br ...

then rode the colt to a commanding five-length victory in the most prestigious race in American

horse racing Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...

, the

Kentucky Derby The Kentucky Derby is a horse race held annually in Louisville, Kentucky, United States, almost always on the first Saturday in May, capping the two-week-long Kentucky Derby Festival. The competition is a Grade I stakes race for three-year ...

. In addition to winning the

1970 Kentucky Derby The 1970 Kentucky Derby was the 96th running of the Kentucky Derby. The race took place on May 2, 1970. The race is most notable in American popular culture as the setting for "The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved", an article written fo ...

, Manganello also had mounts in

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

and in

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; f ...

. He was the leading stakes rider in 1968.

Retirement

Mike Manganello retired from riding in 1979 and went to work as a

horse trainer A horse trainer is a person who tends to horses and teaches them different disciplines. Some of the responsibilities trainers have are caring for the animals' physical needs, as well as teaching them submissive behaviors and/or coaching them for e ...

with his own public stable but returned to riding in 1984. In 1987, he won race number 2,500 of his career at

Tampa Bay Downs Tampa Bay Downs is an American Thoroughbred horse racing facility located in Westchase in Hillsborough County in the U.S. state of Florida, just outside Tampa. It opened in 1926 under the name Tampa Downs, and has also been known as Sunshine Pa ...

. He went on to a new career in racing as a race steward for another twenty-five years at various tracks .

Honors

In April 2005, Mike Manganello was honored for his Kentucky Derby win with his handprints set in concrete on the "Gallop to Glory" walk at the main entrance to the historic Galt House Hotel in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

. He is also honored in the

Kentucky Derby Museum The Kentucky Derby Museum is an American Thoroughbred horse racing museum located on the grounds of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Dedicated to preserving the history of the Kentucky Derby, it first opened its doors to the public in the s ...

in Louisville, Kentucky and was inducted as a Louisville Sports Commission Legend in 2015, Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in November 2017 and the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame, September 2018. Mike Manganello is a lifetime member of the Jockey's Guild.

Personal life

Mike Manganello is a supporter of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund and enjoys riding his

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and gardening in his spare time. He is currently living in Lexington, Kentucky with his wife Kitty.

References

January 27, 1975 ''St. Petersburg Times'' article titled "''Riding star Manganello out for month with injury''"

May 7, 2009 interview with Mike Manganello on the Voice of America radio show ''Winning Ponies''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manganello, Mike 1941 births Living people American jockeys Sportspeople from Hartford, Connecticut Sportspeople from Lexington, Kentucky