Services Scheduled For “Jimbo” Bracciale

Services have been scheduled for Vincent “Jimbo” Bracciale Jr., a nationally recognized jockey who spent the majority of his distinguished riding career in Maryland before transitioning to training in the early 1990s. He passed away on December 15 at the age of 72.

A Memorial Mass will be held Thursday, January 8, at 11 a.m. at St. Louis Catholic Church, located at 12500 Clarksville Pike in Clarksville, Md., followed by a celebration of life at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md. A private service and burial already have been held.

Bracciale began his riding career in the early 1970s and quickly made his mark, becoming Maryland’s leading apprentice jockey and capturing multiple riding titles at meets throughout the state. Over a career that spanned two decades, he recorded 3,545 victories from 20,291 starts, with his mounts earning more than $37.8 million in purse money. He stepped away from riding in 1990, though he returned briefly for a single mount in 1995.

While Maryland was his home base, Bracciale competed successfully throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, riding at tracks including Garden State Park, Atlantic City Race Course, Delaware Park, Monmouth Park, Keystone Racetrack, and New York Racing Association venues.

Among Bracciale’s most notable victories were wins aboard Broad Brush in the Grade I Wood Memorial Invitational in 1986, Majesty’s Prince in the Grade I Man o’ War Stakes in 1984, I’m Splendid in the Grade I Selima Stakes in 1985, and Weber City Miss in the Grade II Black-Eyed Susan Stakes in 1980. He also rode Broad Brush to a third-place finish in the 1986 Grade I Kentucky Derby.

In 1974, Bracciale was given the opportunity to ride the legendary 2-year-old filly Ruffian on two occasions while jockey Jacinto Vásquez was serving suspensions. He won both the Grade III Astoria Stakes at Aqueduct and the Grade I Spinaway Stakes at Saratoga aboard the Eclipse Award-winning filly.

The son of a jockey, Bracciale amassed approximately 40 graded stakes victories during his career, including multiple wins aboard the popular Maryland-bred sprinter Dave’s Friend, who won 35 races from 76 starts.

After retiring from riding, Bracciale turned to training, winning 31 races from 318 starts with earnings of $566,000. His final career victory came in February 2024 at Laurel Park, when Square Slice—ridden by Forest Boyce for Trott Racing Stable and Five Sisters Farm—found the winner’s circle.

Beyond his accomplishments on the track, Bracciale was widely respected for his leadership and advocacy on behalf of fellow riders. A Maryland director of the Jockeys’ Guild, he was known as a tough, principled, and deeply committed representative of the jockey colony.

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