Affirmed Success a standout in the 2002 Carter and the eyes of Migliore

Albert Fried, Jr.’s Kentucky homebred Affirmed Success had hit the board twice in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap before capturing the 2002 edition, where the third time was the charm under jockey Richard Migliore. 

Migliore’s 2,238 victories at Aqueduct Racetrack, according to Equibase, are the most of any rider at the Big A from 1976 through 2025. And yet among his extensive resume at the historic South Ozone Park-oval, Affirmed Success stands out in the eyes of Migliore.

On Saturday, the Grade 2, $300,000 Carter presented by NYRA Bets, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses, goes as Race 6 on the 12-race card that is topped by the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino in Race 12. The program is bolstered by the Grade 3, $200,000 Gazelle [Race 11], the Grade 3, $150,000 Distaff [Race 10] and the Listed $150,000 Excelsior [Race 3]. First post is 12:40 p.m. Eastern. 

Affirmed Success, trained by Rick Schosberg, debuted in May of his sophomore year, 1997, and got off to a blistering start, winning at Aqueduct on debut and then twice at Belmont Park, rattling off 100+ Beyer Speed Figures in all three efforts. Those numbers became the norm for the Affirmed gelding, who then competed primarily in graded stakes and would post triple-digit Beyers in 38-of-42 career races.

“He’s in my top five. He’s on my Mount Rushmore of horses,” said Migliore, who was aboard for Affirmed Success’ last 10 races. “He was honest and hard working. Look at his triple digit Beyers, 38-of-42, ran on both dirt and turf. That’s really a phenomenal resume. It speaks to his consistency and generosity, and trainer Rick Schosberg’s horsemanship to keep him that good for so long. It says a lot about the horse and the conditioner.” 

Migliore admits he always had his eye on the horse, but he didn’t join forces with Affirmed Success until his 8-year-old campaign. By that time, the bay was already a dual Grade 1-winner, capturing the 1998 Vosburgh at Belmont Park and the 1999 Cigar Mile Handicap at the Big A under jockey Jorge Chavez. 

“I was a big fan of this horse before I ever picked up the mount,” recalled Migliore. “He was a phenomenal horse, tremendously talented and extremely honest. He showed up every time and gave you what he had to give.” 

Migliore’s first race aboard Affirmed Success was a prominent half-length second to Grade 3-winner Boston Party in an allowance going one-mile and 70-yards over the inner track in January 2002 at Aqueduct before a third in the Grade 2 General George Handicap at Laurel Park.

“I felt like I cost the horse the [allowance] race. I told Rick that I take all of the blame, because it was on me, I felt terrible,” Migliore said, noting he'd let Affirmed Success position himself early in future races. “You don’t know which way that conversation is going to go, the trainer may put another rider on, but he showed such class and professionalism, putting confidence in me to ride him back.”

The confidence was rewarded as Migliore secured his first win aboard Affirmed Success as he closed to win the local seven-furlong Toboggan Handicap by two lengths that March. 

“I think familiarity really plays a big part in racing,” Schosberg said. “If there was an error earlier on Richie’s part, which I don’t recall, we learn from our mistakes, get an opportunity to reconcile and move forward, obviously that worked. It was great having our team together.” 

With Affirmed Success still running at a high level at the age of 8, it was time for another crack at the Carter. In the 1999 edition, he was a 3 1/4-length second under future Hall of Famer Mike Smith behind Artax, whose final time of 1:20.04 is an Aqueduct track record to this day. The following year, Affirmed Success, with Jorge Chavez up, was closer in margin of defeat when rallying up the inside for a half-length third to Brutally Frank. 

Affirmed Success was the outermost post 10 in the 2002 Carter and each member of the field would at some point in their careers post at least a 109 Beyer. The favorite was last-out Grade 1-winner Snow Ridge for Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas, followed by Grade 1-winner Burning Roma for Hall of Famer Bill Mott, Affirmed Success and Group 3-winning turfer Shibboleth for Hall of Famer Bobby Frankel. Some notable longshots in the field included New York-bred millionaire Say Florida Sandy [98-33-17-12, $2,085,408] and Peeping Tom [55-14-9-9, $1,426,377]. 

“Richie was later on into his career, I was about 20 years into my career, and the horse was eight, it was three veterans taking on the Carter,” Schosberg said. “Richie knew the horse really well. They had great communication with each other, it just worked out great. Those two did some really cool stuff, such as winning the Carter at age 8 and the Toboggan again at age 9.”

Affirmed Success broke alertly and traveled fourth within two lengths of the pacesetting Rusty Spur through the opening quarter-mile in 21.91 seconds over the fast dirt. He raced in a close fifth position and Migliore saved ground along the inside down the backstretch as the half-mile elapsed in a blistering 43.46. 

“As a younger horse, he had a touch more natural speed. As an older horse, he didn’t have as much gate speed. He needed an eighth of a mile to get his legs underneath him,” Migliore said. “They went a half in 43 and change, at about the five-eighths pole, I had to tuck in to save ground. I wasn’t confident with how he’d react to dirt in his face, but when it hit him, he actually got mad, jumped in the bit, and wanted to come after them.”

Coming to the top of the lane, Rusty Spur, Snow Ridge and Here’s Zealous were lined up across the track and Affirmed Success was navigated to the two-path between the former pair. The Affirmed bay bravely powered through the gap and got the jump on the field, including Voodoo as he rallied with purpose from nearly last.  

“We cut the corner, came out, hit the front, and he got a little late in the final yards, but that was because he got aggressive and I moved so soon,” Migliore said. “He made his jockey look good. I let him place himself where he wanted to be in the Carter.”

Affirmed Success held sway en route to a one-length victory over Voodoo and Burning Roma in a final time of 1:21.84. Say Florida Sandy, Dream Run, Rusty Spur, Here’s Zealous, Peeping Tom, Snow Ridge and Shibboleth rounded out the order of finish, while Run Kush Run was scratched. 

“To win the race for Rick, and a Grade 1, you love to see that loyalty be rewarded,” Migliore said. “Give a rider confidence and a good horse under him, they’ll get it done. A Grade 1 is always satisfying, but his loyalty made it even more satisfying.”

In victory, Affirmed Success became the oldest horse to win the Carter and went on to race six more times, including a successful title defense in the Toboggan Handicap, which was run as a Grade 3 going six furlongs on the inner track in 2003. The final start of his career was a distant fifth in that year’s Carter after vying for the early lead, retiring with a 42-17-10-6 overall record and over $2.2 million in earnings. 

“I don’t want to say that he was overlooked, but if you really look at his past performances, it is hard not to put him in a league just below horses like Dr. Fager,” said Schosberg. “We had a very patient owner that knew if we gave the horse rest, he’d come back stronger the next year. Did we expect him to run at nine? Of course not. He was a career horse that deserved his own awards. He was a notch below the Eclipse Awards, we tried the Breeders’ Cup four times, just didn’t get the job done, but he certainly tops my stable for longevity and money earned.”

Migliore, a Brooklyn-native who earned over half of his 4,450 career wins at Aqueduct, tipped his cap to a special horse who was pensioned at Old Friends in Georgetown, Ky. from 2007 until his passing at age 28 in 2022. 

“I grew up eight miles from Aqueduct. The first races I ever went to were with my father at nine or 10 years old, the first stakes I saw was the Toboggan Handicap. I told my father that I was going to be a jockey and win the Toboggan Handicap,” Migliore remembered, which he won a record six times, also aboard Fighting Fit [1985], Royal Haven [1997], Wouldn’t We All [1999] and Kazoo [2006]. 

Migliore's riding talent was impactful across four of the five stakes slated for Saturday at the Big A, including wins in the Wood Memorial [Eternal Prince, 1985], Gazelle [Tactile, 1989; Flashing, 2009], Carter [Affirmed Success, 2002], and a record four scores in the Distaff [Miss Golden Circle, 1997; Parlay, 1998; Randaroo, 2004; Bank Audit, 2005] that he shares with Hall of Famer Angel Cordero, Jr.

“The Carter, at one time, was the first Grade 1 of the New York racing season. The Wood Memorial, being on that win picture wall at Aqueduct means the world to me, because as a kid, I studied that wall,” Migliore said. “The history of Aqueduct is not lost on me, and being a small part of that history, means a lot.”