Merlin Paul Volzke (October 5, 1925 – February 21, 2013) was an American jockey who raced primarily on the

West Coast of the United States The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast, Pacific states, and the western seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S ...

. He began his professional career in the 1940s and in 1948 won the riding title at

Longacres Racetrack Longacres was a Thoroughbred horse racetrack in Renton, Washington, United States. Owned by the Gottstein/Alhadeff family and operated by the Washington Jockey Club for the vast majority of its existence, the racetrack was the home of Thor ...

Renton, Washington Renton is a city in King County, Washington, and an inner-ring suburb of Seattle. Situated southeast of downtown Seattle, Renton straddles the southeast shore of Lake Washington, at the mouth of the Cedar River. As of the 2020 census, the ...

. In 1958, Volzke was honored with the

George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award The George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award has been presented by Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, annually since 1950 to the thoroughbred horse racing jockey in North America who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduct ...

, given to a jockey who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduct, on and off the racetrack. Volzke retired from riding in the 1970s but remained in the industry, working as a Senior race steward at

Los Alamitos Race Course Los Alamitos Race Course is a horse racing track in Cypress, California. The track hosts both thoroughbred and quarter horse racing. The track has the distinction of holding four quarter horse stakes races with purses over $1 million, more than a ...

Cypress, California Cypress is a city in northwestern Orange County within Southern California. Its population was 50,151 at the 2020 census. History The first people living in the area now known as Cypress were the Gabrieleno, a Native American tribe of the Ton ...

until he stepped down after twenty-six years of service at the age of 79 in 2005. At ceremonies held at

Hollywood Park Racetrack Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, the original Hollywood Park Casino was added to the ...

on July 11, 2009, Volzke was given the Laffit Pincay Jr. Award, an honor awarded annually since 2004 to an individual, who has served the sport with integrity, extraordinary dedication, determination and distinction.

References

ROAP directory for Merlin Volzke
1925 births 2013 deaths American jockeys Sportspeople from Nebraska People from York County, Nebraska {{US-horseracing-bio-stub