Rick Violette Jr.
Rick Violette Jr. Rick started showing hunters and jumpers on the East Coast circuit. He first started galloping race horses part-time but eventually chose racing over show horses. Rick graduated from Lowell University in Massachusetts and began working on the backstretch at Suffolk Downs. He was assistant to for Emile Allain at Woodbine Race Track in Canada for 2 years and then went to New York to be an assistant to trainer David Whiteley. He started his own public stable in 1983. Rick has served as Chairman of the New York Jockey Injury Compensation Fund for more than a decade and has been the President of the National Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and a member of the Board of Directors of NYTHA for many years. Rick performed an invaluable role for NYTHA in the formation of programs such as: English as a second language and the Groom Development Program for backstretch employees. He has developed many New York and Graded Stakes winners including Read the Footnotes, Man from Wicklow, March Magic, Dream Rush and High Finance.
