Former New England Trainer Ricciardi Dies
Description:
Artilio (Archie) Ricciardi, a longtime trainer on the New England circuit and a former board member of the New England affiliate of the Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association, passed away May 4 after a long struggle with cancer. He was 87.
After graduating from high school in Quincy, Mass., Ricciardi joined the army and served as a medic during the Korean War. After the war, he became a plasterer and a stone mason and owned Means Precast until 1998, when he turned the business over to two of his sons and purchased a 60-acre farm in Marshfield, Mass. to pursue his true passion for horse racing.
Ricciardi obtained his trainer's license in 1986 and formed Woodbine Stables. During a career spanning from 1987 to 2016, he had 75 winners from 1,181 started, who earned purses of $782,918, according to Equibase statistics.
Ricciardi's served on the NEHBPA board during turbulent times when Rockingham Park ended live Thoroughbred racing, the ownership of Suffolk Downs put the track on the market to be sold and developed for real estate, and the horsemen's association sought alternatives to keep live racing and breeding alive in New England.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Julia (Capobianchi) Ricciardi of Quincy, sons Mark, Tim, and Brian Ricciardi, 11 grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.