Saratoga fundraiser to feature 5 retired champion jockeys

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. » The New York Race Track Chaplaincy announced that it will feature five retired champion jockeys at its second Champions Talk fundraiser for backstretch workers in August.

Scheduled to participate in the roundtable discussion are: Ángel Cordero Jr., Chris McCarron, Richard Migliore, Laffit Pincay Jr., and Jorge Velazquez, who together won more than 34,000 races.

The initial version of Champions Talk aired last August, with former New York Racing Association track announcer Tom Durkin serving as moderator. That panel included Cordero, jockey Ramón Dominguez, trainer Dale Romans and owner Terry Finley.

Ramón Dominguez, president of the board of the New York Race Track Chaplaincy, said the event was so popular the organization has decided to make it a permanent part of its calendar.

“The needs of the backstretch workers over the past year have been even greater due to the pan

demic, and we hope racing fans will once again demonstrate their generosity by supporting this event,” said chaplain Humberto Chavez.

Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., a three-time Eclipse award winner, also will be honored for his support of the backstretch community in New York and Durkin again will serve as moderator of the discussion to be held in the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion in Saratoga Springs.

The event will be the sole Saratoga fundraiser for the organization.

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy provides children’s enrichment, social service, recreational, and educational programs, as well as non-denominational religious services to backstretch workers.