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Sports

Champion Jockey Ramon Dominguez Meets His Fans

Eclipse Award winner appears in fundraiser for disabled jockeys.

As one of the most accomplished jockeys in horse racing, Ramon Dominguez is in a position to help others. That begins with helping his own.

Dominguez is helping to raise funds for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, which provides assistance to some 60 jockeys who have suffered catastrophic injuries on the track. The 2010 Eclipse Award Winner for outstanding jockey came to the on Wednesday to greet his fans and raise funds for disabled jockeys and their families.

"Not only me, but a lot of the riders have been trying to get more involved in raising money to help these jockeys," Dominguez said.

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The fund has raised over $2 million since 2006, with the goal being to create an endowment that will enable the fund to be self-sufficient. On this day, 2012 calendars featuring the top jockeys in the world were sold, with all proceeds going to the PDJF.

Dominguez says the "Sport of Kings" has come a long way in taking care of its jockeys, with improvements on the track, and in the riders' equipment, such as upgrading over the 'Caliente' helmets, which were basically just a shell, according to Dominguez.

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"There was not a lot of safety provided by these helmets, now we have bigger helmets with shock absorption ... there's always improvements being made in all different areas," Dominguez said.

Long Island, specifically Belmont Park, has been good to Dominguez. Last month, he tied a record by winning six races in eight mounts on the same day at the track, and had the honor of riding Mucho Macho Man at the .

It's a long way from his native Venezuela, where Dominguez' father owned a 'Pick 6' betting machine where bettors could place their wagers off-track. The elder Dominguez had to bring the machine to the track come race time, and Ramon tagged along. From then on, he was hooked, and emigrated to the U.S. in 1996.

"In my beginnings, there were many riders I looked up to, and when I met them in person it was like meeting a big celebrity," Dominguez said.

He is now in a position to give back, not just to his fellow jockeys, but to his fans. Jim and Rita Sideris brought their special-needs son, 17-year old Justin Siempa to the Race Palace. Dominguez is Justin's idol, and the family was given a private audience with their hero, exciting the parents just as much, if not more than, their son.

"I said my god, it's really you!" an overwhelmed Jim said. "I'm glad he was able to laugh it off."

Dominguez says experiences like meeting Justin are humbling, but he's happy to be able to bring joy into the lives of his fans.

"It's kind of shocking when I come to realize how much they look up to you," Dominguez said. "I'm just a guy fortunate to be doing this ... to see a big smile on their face, [it's great] knowing you made their day."

Learn more about the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund at www.pdjf.org.

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