Creative bookseller, philanthropist and successful thoroughbred horse owner/breeder Leonard “Len” Riggio died on August 27 in New York City, according to a family spokesperson and multiple media reports. He was 83 and had Alzheimer’s disease.
Riggio raced and bred horses under the name My Meadowview, a farm he owned on Long Island, New York, which was originally a show horse stable run by his wife Louise and daughter Stephanie and later became the birthplace of the Thoroughbred racehorses he bred in New York.
A native of the Bensonhurst section of Brooklyn, Riggio loved going to horse races and dreamed of one day owning his own horses. In 2001, he campaigned his first winner with Joseph Cornacchia, a Pulpit colt named Father Steve that he bought through trainer Nick Zito for $900,000 at the 2000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The colt went on to win three times in 11 starts.
Riggio raced his first black show horse in 2005 with Noble Causeway, who finished second in the Florida Derby (G1) and then became the owner/breeder’s first horse to enter the Kentucky Derby (G1), where he finished 14th. The following year, the stable’s Doc Cheney finished second in the Dwyer Stakes (G2). Thoroughbreds Marion Ravenwood became Riggio’s first winner in the Capades Stakes in 2011 Aqueduct Racetrack and later played a larger role in his breeding program.
“Having Noble Causeway with Nick Zito really got him going. He wanted to do more than just buy young horses, he wanted to be part of the process,” recalls Lincoln Collins, president of Kern Bloodstock, who managed Riggio’s Thoroughbred operation from 2007 until 2023, when the farm’s last Thoroughbred herd will be sold. “In the late 2000s, he started putting together a pretty talented group of mares.”
Previous purchases include first prize, second prize Andujar ($2.5 million), bookmaker, bookmaker Oatmeal ($1.55 million) and 1st place winner Love your way ($1.45 million) and Zophie is attractive ($1.1 million).
“He was always very supportive of me and gave me the opportunity to buy horses and breed the stallions that I dreamed of,” Collins said. “As an owner/breeder, it takes a long time to get results and he was very patient. And his program has had an impact on the breed.”
My Meadowview has bred and bred the dams of several Grade 1 winners. Marion Ravenwood (daughter of Andujar) was the dam of the 2021 Santa Anita Handicap (G1) winner Idol And Nest three-time Grade 1 winner who was also runner-up in the 2022 Belmont Stakes (G1). Nest finished second in the Belmont Stakes Mo Donegal My Meadowview homebred winner Call missbrown The farm also raised Riviera jumpsuit dam of 2021 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) winner Dictionary ; And, Lemon liqueur dam of 2022 New York Stakes (G1T) winner Bleecker Street .
Riggio did not breed and raise the attractive Zophie, but he did breed her perfect foal. Tapwrite a son of Knock on the door which he sold at the 2015 Saratoga Sale, a yearling sale selected by Fasig-Tipton, for $1.2 million to Bridlewood Farm, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Robert LaPenta. The colt, sent by Denali Stud, won the 2017 Belmont Stakes (G1) and the Tampa Bay Derby (G2). Tapwrit stood in the 2024 breeding season at Gainesway for $7,500.
Riggio’s most successful runner as an owner was Ride the comet a pony Candy Trip from Appealing Zophie, who has three graded race wins including the 2018 Del Mar Derby (G2T) and finished second in the 2021 Maker’s Mark Mile Stakes (G1T) at KeenelandRiggio raced Ride a Comet with John Oxley.
Collins described Riggio as a wonderful, generous man who loved his horses. He valued trips to Kentucky to see his mares and foals raised there and enjoyed his training hours at Saratoga Race TrackHis close relationship with the horses he bred and raised was demonstrated by his commitment from the outset to ensuring they moved on to other careers after racing or enjoyed comfortable retirements.
“His whole family was very dedicated to looking after the horses they bred. They were really ahead of their time in that regard,” Collins said. “At first they would reclaim their horses and then Len decided not to run any of their horses in the reclaiming ranks. If they weren’t good enough to be a special horse or a benefit horse, they would be given a new job or retired.”
One of the current retirees at My Meadowview is Samraat The New York-bred son of Noble Causeway won the Withers Stakes (G3) and Gotham Stakes (G3) in 2014 before finishing second in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G2). Samraat gave Riggio his best result in the Kentucky Derby, when he finished fifth in 2014—narrowly missing out on fourth place.
While Riggio was building his breeding program, he also served on the board of the New York Jockey Association from 2007 to 2017.
Riggio made his mark in the business world by building the book retailer and publisher Barnes & Noble into the nation’s largest publicly traded bookstore chain. His stores broke new ground in bookselling by providing comfortable chairs and tables where customers could linger and read a book with a good cup of coffee.
The New Yorker is also an avid and prolific art collector and a dedicated philanthropist. Len and Louise Riggio founded a nonprofit called Project Home Again, which built and donated 101 homes in New Orleans after the devastating floods caused by Hurricane Katrina, according to the Wall Street Journal. Collins said he donated to a variety of causes, often anonymously.
“He was a smart and kind man,” Collins said. “I am happy to know that through the various mares he bred and raised, the legacy of My Meadowview will live on for many years to come. Personally, I owe him a lot.”
Riggio’s survivors include Louise, three daughters and four grandchildren.
