The George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award has been presented by

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

in Arcadia, California, annually since 1950 to the thoroughbred horse racing jockey in North America who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduct both on and off the racetrack. The award was created through donations from the racing public after the death of Hall of Fame jockey George Woolf. The one-time-only award is voted on by members of the Jockeys' Guild who chose from among their peers nominated by Guild regional managers. The trophy that goes along with the award is a one-foot-high replica of the life-size statue of George Woolf that, along with a bronze sculpture of his favorite mount, Seabiscuit, has a place of honor in the Santa Anita Paddock Gardens.The Jockeys' Guild
Past winners:

*2022 : Joe Bravo *2021 : Deshawn L. Parker *2020 : Luis M. Quinones *2019 : Scott Stevens *2018 : José C. Ferrer *2017 : Stewart Elliott *2016 :

Victor Espinoza Victor Espinoza (born May 23, 1972) is a Mexican jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing who won the Triple Crown in 2015 on American Pharoah. He began riding in his native Mexico and went on to compete at racetracks in California. He has w ...

*2015 : Mike Luzzi *2014 :

Corey Lanerie Corey James Lanerie (born November 13, 1974) is a jockey in American Thoroughbred horse racing. Based in Kentucky, he has been the leading rider at Churchill Downs, having won the most races during a race meet, 10 times. He has also been named th ...

*2013 : Mario G. Pino *2012 : Ramon A. Dominguez *2011 : Garrett K. Gomez *2010 : Calvin Borel *2009 :

John Velazquez John R. Velazquez (born November 24, 1971) is a Puerto Rican jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. He began his career in Puerto Rico and moved to New York in 1990. In 2004 and 2005 he was the United States Champion Jockey by earnings and both ye ...

*2008 :

Richard Migliore Richard Migliore (born March 14, 1964 in Babylon, New York) is a retired American jockey. He now works as a racing analyst for XBTV. He was nicknamed "The Mig," which is a type of Russian fighter jet, for his tenacious style of riding. He lives ...

*2007 : Jon Court *2006 : Mark Guidry *2005 : Ray Sibille *2004 :

Robby Albarado Robby J. Albarado (born September 11, 1973, in Lafayette, Louisiana) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding at the age of 10 and progressed to riding at bush tracks in his native Louisiana by the age of 12. After turning ...

*2003 :

Edgar Prado Edgar S. Prado (Lima, June 12, 1967) is a Peruvian-born American jockey, a U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jockey in thoroughbred horse racing. His big break came in 1997 when he won 536 races, making him the fourth rider in history to win 500 races ...

*2002 :

Russell Baze Russell Avery Baze (born 7 August 1958 ) is a retired horse racing jockey. He holds the record for the most race wins in North American horse racing history, and is a member of the United States Racing Hall of Fame and the State of Washington S ...

*2001 : Dean Kutz *2000 : Mike E. Smith *1999 : José A. Santos *1998 :

Craig Perret Craig Perret (born February 2, 1951, in New Orleans, Louisiana) is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. He began riding horses at age five and by seven was riding quarter horses in match races. At age fifteen he began his career in tho ...

*1997 : Alex Solis *1996 : Gary Stevens *1995 :

Eddie Maple Edward Retz "Eddie" Maple (born November 8, 1948, in Carrollton, Ohio) is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing jockey. One of eight siblings, he is an older brother to jockey Sam Maple, who won more than 2,500 races. Maple began riding h ...

*1994 : Phil Grove *1993 :

Kent Desormeaux Kent Jason Desormeaux (born February 27, 1970) is an American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey who holds the U.S. record for most races won in a single year with 598 wins in 1989. He has won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes ...

*1992 :

Jerry Bailey Jerry D. Bailey (born August 29, 1957 in Dallas, Texas) is an NBC Sports thoroughbred racing analyst and a retired American Hall of Fame jockey. Early years Bailey was born in Dallas but raised in El Paso. He had a pony as a child and became ...

*1991 : Earlie Fires *1990 : John L. Lively *1989 : Larry Snyder *1988 :

Don Brumfield Donald Alan "Don" Brumfield (born May 24, 1938) is a retired American jockey from Kentucky. During his thirty-five-year career, Brumfield won 4,573 races in 33,222 rides. He retired from racing in 1989. Brumfield was the "track all-time leading r ...

*1987 :

Don MacBeth Donald MacBeth (August 29, 1949 – March 1, 1987) was a Canadian Hall of Fame jockey in North American Thoroughbred racing. Born in Red Deer, Alberta, Macbeth rode horses at Alberta racetracks before going to race in the United States. Among ho ...

*1986 :

Jorge Velásquez Jorge Velásquez (born December 28, 1946 in Chepo, Panama) is a thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. Jorge Velasquez's career in thoroughbred racing began in his native Panama but as a teenager moved to the United States. In 1967 he won ...

*1985 :

Pat Day Patrick Alan "Pat" Day (born October 13, 1953, in Brush, Colorado) is a retired American jockey. He is a four-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1991 a ...

*1984 :

Steve Cauthen Steve Cauthen (born May 1, 1960) is a retired American jockey. In 1977 he became the first jockey to win over $6 million in a year working with agent Lenny Goodman, and in 1978 he became the youngest jockey to win the U. S. ...

*1983 :

Marco Castaneda Marco Castaneda (born June 15, 1950, in Bogotá, Colombia) is a former jockey who competed in Thoroughbred racing in his native Colombia before emigrating to the United States in 1971 where he became one of the top riders of his era and winner of ...

*1982 : Pat Valenzuela *1981 : Eddie Delahoussaye *1980 :

Chris McCarron Christopher John McCarron (born March 27, 1955, Boston, Massachusetts) is a retired American thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He mounted his first horse ever at 16.5 years old and was racing professionally by 18. At only 19 years o ...

*1979 : Ron Turcotte *1978 :

Darrel McHargue Darrel G. McHargue (born September 26, 1954 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) is a retired American Champion jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. One of five children from a family not connected to horse racing, he was first introduced to riding as a te ...

*1977 : Frank Olivares *1976 : Sandy Hawley *1975 : Fernando Toro *1974 : Álvaro Pineda *1973 :

John L. Rotz John L. Rotz (December 16, 1934 – July 12, 2021) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey and a World Champion in Western riding competitions. Early career After graduating from Warrensburg-Latham High School in Illinois in 1952, Rotz ...

*1972 : Ángel Cordero Jr. *1971 : Jerry Lambert *1970 : Laffit Pincay Jr. *1969 : Johnny Sellers *1968 :

Braulio Baeza Braulio Baeza (born March 26, 1940) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey and one of the master Thoroughbred jockeys of our time. In 1963, he was the first Latin American jockey to win the Kentucky Derby. Baeza began his ra ...

*1967 : Donald R. Pierce *1966 :

Alex Maese Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple *Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people *Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple peop ...

*1965 : Walter Blum *1964 : Manuel Ycaza *1963 :

Ismael Valenzuela Ismael "Milo" Valenzuela (December 25, 1934, in McNary, Texas – September 2, 2009, in Arcadia, California) was a Thoroughbred horse racing Hall of Fame jockey. He was one of 22 children born to parents who had immigrated to the United States ...

*1962 : Steve Brooks *1961 : Peter Moreno *1960 :

William Harmatz William Harmatz (February 9, 1931 – January 27, 2011) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey who won the 1959 Preakness Stakes aboard Royal Orbit. The recipient of the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1960, given to a jockey ...

*1959 : William Boland *1958 : Merlin Volzke *1957 : Ted Atkinson *1956 : John H. Adams *1955 : Raymond York *1954 :

Ralph Neves Ralph P. Neves (August 26, 1916 – July 7, 1995) was an American Hall of Fame jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing. Born in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Neves won 3,772 races, including 173 stakes, and was elected to the Racing Hall of Fame in 1960 ...

*1953 : Eddie Arcaro *1952 : Johnny Longden *1951 :

Bill Shoemaker William Lee Shoemaker (August 19, 1931 – October 12, 2003) was an American jockey. For 29 years he held the world record for total professional jockey victories. Early life Referred to as "Bill", "Willie," and "The Shoe", William Lee Sho ...

*1950 : Gordon Glisson

References

{{reflist American horse racing awards