Renowned farrier Ray Amato Sr. dies at age 88
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - The farrier Ray Amato Sr., a member of the International Horseshoeing Hall of Fame, died Monday at his home in Florida due to cancer. He was 88.
Amato began working as a farrier in 1949 at Aqueduct. His roster of clients included many of the legendary horsemen of the turf including Hirsch Jacobs, Bobby Frankel, Laz Barrera, Frank “Pancho” Martin, and Todd Pletcher.
Pletcher said Amato had been shoeing horses for him since he went out on his own at the end of 1995. Pletcher, the all-time leading trainer in purse money won, was elected into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame last year.
“Sad day for our team,” Pletcher said Tuesday morning at Saratoga. “Pretty much been our blacksmith since pretty close to Day One. As much as that, he was just a big personality, someone who every time he walked into the barn brightened everyone’s day. He always had something good to say about everyone. Aside from being a terrific blacksmith, he was just a super person.”
Among the horses Amato shod for Pletcher were Kentucky Derby winners Super Saver and Always Dreaming and Rags to Riches, who in 2007 became the first filly to win the Belmont Stakes in 102 years.
Pletcher said that during the most recent winter meet at Gulfstream Park, Amato would still come out four to five mornings a week at Palm Beach Downs, where Pletcher is based, mentoring some of the younger blacksmiths.
Amato’s son Ray Jr., with whom he worked shoeing horses for decades, passed away from pancreatic cancer in January 2021. He was 62.