There will be no warm-up starts for new trainer Nick Vaccarezza, but then again he’s been preparing most of his life for the opportunity.
Vaccarezza will hit the ground running as a new conditioner when he aims for a graded stakes score in his debut that could put him on the Kentucky Derby (G1) path. He has entered grade 2-placed Golden Afternoon in the $250,000 Lecomte Stakes (G3) Jan. 18 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
While Vaccarezza is only 25, through his family experience he boasts the experience of some trainers twice his age.
“From the get-go I’ve loved horses; they were always my favorite animal,” Nick Vaccarezza said. “Even in my crib, dad would have the races on and I’d be holding the bars jumping up and down cheering for the horses.”
Nick’s father, Carlo Vaccarezza, will step back from training but will continue to own horses and plans to devote more time to improving the sport overall. Top runners for the elder Vaccarezza as a trainer include Golden Afternoon, grade 3-placed stakes winner Injunction , and grade 3-placed multiple stakes winner Sweet Dani Girl . With starters from 2013-25 (concentrated on 2014-24), as a trainer Vaccarezza has compiled a 170-184-142 record from 1,229 starts with purse earnings of more than $7 million.
Nick Vaccarezza (far right) in the trophy presentation after Injunction’s victory in the 2022 R.A. “Cowboy” Jones Overnight Stakes at Ellis Park
The entry of Nick Vaccarezza into the training profession marks a transition for the family that has reached racing’s heights with homebred 2012 Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1T) winner Little Mike and has bred such standouts as 2021 champion male sprinter Jackie’s Warrior . While it will be Nick’s first official start as a trainer—he also has owned horses—he has served as an assistant to his father Carlo for years.
The younger Vaccarezza’s love of horses would be built with trips to Calder Race Course with his father and then to backstretches of top tracks as Carlo began to own horses. There would be conversations with Dale Romans, who trained Vaccarezza’s horses and sent out Little Mike to that Breeders’ Cup win, as well as later talks with Allen Jerkens, Fernando Abreu, and Chuck Simon.
“Dale Romans was great with Nick and very influential on him,” Carlo said. “He took a great interest in Nick and they had a great chemistry talking about the horses.”
In recent years Nick has followed through on that passion, putting the time and effort into learning the training profession. He would graduate from the University of Kentucky’s Equine Program and serve as an assistant for multiple Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown and for his father’s stable, where he would work with assistants such as Reynaldo Abreu and Mike Dilger.
Like many young people, Nick faced some tough challenges of trying to work and attend school during the COVID-19 years. That challenge followed the unfathomable situation he and his family went through as he survived the 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida. That shooting claimed the lives of 17 students and staff, including Vaccarezza’s friend Joaquin Oliver.
After graduating from high school, Nick enrolled at the University of Kentucky but found himself more interested in getting to work with the horses. He said he felt a bit lost at the time and found footing back in Florida, assisting Chad Brown and enrolling at Florida Atlantic University. Then during the COVID-19 years, Carlo moved back to Kentucky and Nick followed, helping with the stable and returning to the U.K. Equine Program.
“Chad Brown was great with Nick and I think gave him some great advice,” Carlo said. “He told him that he can work for him anytime but it’s very important that if he has an opportunity to get a college degree, he should pursue it. I think that little push made all the difference. Chad made a big difference.”
With the college years shifting to more classes in his areas of interest, Nick found his groove at school and flourished. He would face a tough call on the day of the graduation ceremony as Sweet Dani Girl was entered in the 2023 Modesty Stakes (G3T) at Churchill Downs that same May day.
“She’d been training so well I had to be there; she nearly beat Didia that day,” Nick said of the race that saw Sweet Dani Girl lead into the stretch. “It also was a case of I always felt like my high school graduation was the one that meant the most to me. That’s the one I needed to be at.”
Golden Afternoon breaks his maiden in 2024 at Kentucky Downs
Nick Vaccarezza said they have a good team in place that has excelled at racing’s top venues. He’s looking forward to acquiring more good horses and will train for his father and other owners.
“That’s a point of emphasis with me, I train every horse with the same top care—stakes horses and claiming horses and that’s what I’ll do with any other owners, train them just as I would my dad’s horses,” Nick Vaccarezza said. “I love that this sport ties so many people together. When a horse wins, it makes the day for the trainer, the groom who is sending money back home, the exercise rider, and the jockey. It’s a butterfly effect.”
Nick Vaccarezza with Golden Afternoon in the winner’s circle at Fair Grounds Race Course
While Carlo Vaccarezza will discontinue training horses, he plans to continue to own horses. He owns Golden Afternoon with Eddie and Pat Greco, Scott Jaffe, and Michael Cloonan and plans to continue to campaign a dozen-plus horses, typically in partnerships. Beyond that, Carlo plans to devote more time to shaping the industry and has already met with some racing leaders in Florida over the decoupling issue at Gulfstream Park.
“I love what a guy like Mike Repole is doing; his heart is in the right place,” Carlo Vaccarezza said. “We need to get ideas out there and be a part of fixing this game. I want to put some time toward helping. I’m 73 and I want this to keep going, so I’ve met with some leaders and organizations and want to do more of that.
“It’s going to take a lot of effort. It’s a wonderful game and I want to do something to make sure it goes forward for the next generation.”
Nick Vaccarezza is in that generation; a sport that has brought his family together.
“Nick is very capable. He’s been in the business since he was a kid helping me out and he’s served as an assistant to Chad Brown,” Carlo Vaccarezza said. “When you look at it, he’s spent 15 of his 24 years preparing for this. He has the passion; he has the intensity.”
It’s a passion that has been handed down to Nick, who noted: “When I look over and see my father and we exchange smiles after we win a race, that’s my favorite part of all of this.”
