Career
A native of Camden, New Jersey, in 1952 DiMauro was an apprentice jockey riding at racetracks in Florida and the New York area. In his early years conditioning Thoroughbreds, DiMauro had considerable success with horses belonging to the Golden Triangle Stables of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania businessman, Tom Eazor. Among their successes was with the filly Lady Pitt who was voted the 1966 American Champion Three-Year-Old Filly.
Foreign other owners, DiMauro would train two more Champions during his career, both coming in 1975.
That year, Dearly Precious earned American Champion Two-Year-Old Filly honors and Wajima was voted the American Champion Three-Year-Old Male Horse. In 1975, DiMauro was voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer.
He bred numerous winners including two New York Bred Champions. As part of his breeding and training programs he was part owner (with Harold Syner of Wajima fame) of Alamare Farm in Lexington and joint owner of Meadow Wood Training Center in Ocala, Florida.
DiMauro is responsible for mentoring and developing many of the horsemen involved in Thoroughbred racing today.
His experience and insight into the sport has earned him much respect among many. He gave Richard Migliore a chance, and Richard "The Mig," was a well-known jockey for many years until his retirement in June 2010, and is still involved in the sport with the New York Racing Association. He gave Dominic Galluscio horses to train when he was just starting out on his own as a professional trainer.
Dominic is today one of the more well-known claiming trainers in the New York circuit.
DiMauro also took young exercise rider, Karen Shiels, under his wing, and gave her a chance when she was fresh out of college, grooming her to train on her own one day. Karen, under DiMauro"s guidance and tutelage, ended up breaking many of Steve"s yearlings who went on to become stakes winners.
Menifee, a Kentucky bred, out of Anne Campbell, by Harlan son of Storm Cat went on to run 2nd in the Kentucky Derby and 2nd in the Preakness in 1999. Besides mentoring and being busy with his training, breeding and farm management, he always found time to give back to the sport he loves so much.
His service to the industry included Board of Director positions with the New York Horsemens"s Benevolent and Protection Association, the New York Backstretch Pension Fund, Breeder"s Cup Limited. and the New York Thoroughbred Breeding Fund (serving as President in 1982 and 1983).
