He was very active in the community and is remembered as tough, tiny, but tenacious kid who knew nothing about horse racing or becoming a jockey, until the day he met liquor salesman at the Uptown Cafe in New Brunswick.

A liquor salesman overheard him and took him seriously, introducing Vega to trainer[9] Marty Fallon, who was known for bringing up young contract riders and teaching them everything there was to know about being a horseman before he allowed them to gallop horses in the morning and then become jockeys.

[15] In 1984, after winning back-to-back riding titles and breaking twenty records as an apprentice, Vega began his career as a journeyman and one of the most promising jockeys in the nation.

[16] He was the leading jockey at Keystone Park for part of the meet before he moving his tack to Maryland after his falling out with his mentor, trainer Marty L. Fallon.

In addition to becoming one of the nation's top riders, Vega was known as a no-nonsense kind of guy, with swift hands on a horse, and quick fist's in the jockey's room.

Vega was a popular figure and fan favorite on the East Coast racetrack's, known for his charismatic personality and his strong and stylish finishes during races.

On June 17, 1985, Vega was called on to replace veteran Jockey Craig Perret on a mare named Forest Maiden at Garden State Park Racetrack.

[19] On July 13, 1985, Vega scored his third victory aboard Forest Maiden in the first running of the 1 1/16 mile Philadelphia Handicap at Garden State Park, finishing the race in 1:42 1/5 seconds.

His success on the racetrack continued until the passing of his younger brother, Reynaldo Vega, who was only 24 years old at the time, which forced him to eventually quit riding at the peak of his career to take care of his family.

In 1988, Vega returned to the saddle at Calder Race Course in Florida, before moving his tack to New York to compete against a riding colony which included some of the best jockeys in the country.

Timely Business was an unaccomplished filly who had just came back off a layoff due to a fracture, and was entered in the 1988 Martha Washington Handicap[24] at Laurel Park after her impressive allowance victory at Aqueduct two weeks prior.

In 1993, Vega picked up a mount named Shanannies Boss, who was a tough, and rambunctious chestnut horse who liked to run off with riders in the mornings during training.

In 2010, Tony Vega launched his final comeback and had a few heartbreaking losses, before coming back to win, and visit the winners circle for the last time at Monmouth Park on July 4, 2010, aboard Machismo for trainer Andrew Amonte.

On the morning of November 11, 2013 (Veterans Day), while preparing for work, Vega suffered a heart attack and died in his home in New Jersey.