After six years of experience as a sales associate for Terry Finley's West Point Thoroughbreds, Joe Migliore said he is going out on his own as a bloodstock agent and plans on being active at the upcoming OBS March Sale in Ocala, Fla.
Migliore said he has taken to heart many of the valuable lessons learned during his time with West Point.
“It's a great team that they have, a very family type of setting,” Migliore said. “Working for West Point gave me tremendous exposure to how partnerships in the United States work. The team at West Point really go above and beyond what the standard is. I learned quite a bit about dealing with so many different types of owners. There would be some owners that own five percent of one horse and some who own larger shares of multiple horses. That really accelerated the process of how to communicate with certain owners.”
Migliore, 30, is the son of retired jockey and current America's Day at the Races analyst Richard Migliore. A former intern for NYRA in the press box at Saratoga, Migliore has hit the ground running and is currently in Florida doing his homework on the upcoming OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.
“I've been going everywhere from Palm Meadows to talk to trainers to Ocala and visiting a lot of farms and checking out horses that are heading off to the sale,” said Migliore.
Migliore plans on buying for owner Robert Masiello, who currently serves on the board of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association and first got involved in ownership in 2005 when partnering with West Point Thoroughbreds on multiple horses, including graded stakes winners Twilight Eclipse, Freedom Child and Justwhistledixie.
“I wouldn't be able to be in this position without his support,” Migliore said. “We've built a strong friendship that goes beyond the racetrack. He's a young and ambitious owner and a spectacular guy. We need more people like Robert Masiello in this industry.”
Masiello owns the popular turf sprint sensation Fiya [7-5-1-1, $184,396], a $400,000 auction purchase recommended by Migliore. Masiello said his friendship with Migliore has grown stronger since their early days with West Point.
“I got to know Joe at West Point and in the last couple of years as I've transitioned into my own stable, and he's been very helpful,” said Masiello. “Joe has given me ideas of horses to claim and he has just been so helpful over the years. He and Terry still have a great relationship, so they'll work together at some point in the future I'm sure. He's very studious, always is asking questions and he's tried to learn a lot.”
Migliore said he has utilized that studious nature to hone in on his client's business needs.
“Some owners want fillies to build a potential broodmare band, others want colts and have big dreams of the Triple Crown,” said Migliore. “Price comes into play too, so it's important to understand people's budgets.”
Migliore said he plans on being “extremely active” at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred Yearling Sale in August.
“That is one sale I have a big circle around,” Migliore said. “You can find tremendous value there, although the prices are getting a little higher now that people are recognizing that value. For me, I hope to do a lot at that sale and I definitely will make a big push. It's one of my favorite sales to work. I'm always looking for New York-breds because of the strength of the program, so New York-breds are a priority for me.”
Migliore credited bloodstock agents David Ingordo and Mike Shannon, who scout out young talent for West Point, for helping him learn what to look for in a horse.
“I learned a lot from the two of them,” said Migliore. “You always should learn something new each day in this game. If you aren't, then you aren't working hard enough.
“A strong hind leg is something I look at,” Migliore added. “In dirt racing especially, you need a good hind leg. I focus in on a horse with correct conformation and there are other things that come in to play and some things that you're willing to forgive. We all have different interpretations.”
Migliore also credited not only his father but also his mother, Carmela, who worked as a longtime assistant trainer to Steve DiMauro.
“We talk about horses pretty often as a family and it's something that we share a bond over,” Migliore said. “I've learned so much from them both.”
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