NEWS
Court to receive George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award
Posted: Tuesday, February 20, 2007 11:57 AM
COURT'S MILESTONE WIN ABOARD BRITE LORELEI ON APRIL 7, 2005
Benoit & Associates photo
Jon Court, a Florida native who has won more than 3,000 career races, has been selected as the winner of the 2007 Santa Anita George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award.
Court, 46, is the 58th recipient of the award, which has been presented annually by Santa Anita since 1950 and which honors the memory of one of Thoroughbred racing’s greatest jockeys of all time.
The legendary George Woolf, known as “The Iceman” due to his coolness in big race conditions, died shortly after falling off of W.W. Taylor’s Please Me during the running of the fourth race on January 13, 1946, at Santa Anita Park.
The Woolf Award honors riders whose careers and personal character reflect positively on themselves and on the sport of Thoroughbred racing. The award will be presented to Court on March 25.
“I tell you what, I just never dreamed I’d see this day,” Court said. “Winning the Woolf Award is a dream come true. Just to be a part of such an elite group of riders is far beyond any honor I could ever imagine achieving.
“Early on in my career, I was taken by the definition of the award itself. The fact that it recognizes those with high integrity and those who give back, as well as those who represent themselves well as a rider and as an individual in their personal life, makes it very gratifying.”
Court, who won his 3,000th career race at Santa Anita on April 7, 2005, has won riding titles at Oaklawn Park (2000), Hoosier Park (1996, ‘97), and Birmingham Park (1987). He is the all-time winningest jockey at Ellis Park in Henderson, Kentucky, where he was leading rider in 1987, ’88, ’89, ’90, and ’91.
Court resides in La Verne, California. with his wife, Krystal, and their three-year-old daughter, Aubrey. He has three children from a previous marriage: Justin (29), Donielle (24), and Aaron (20). Court’s father-in-law is veteran Midwest trainer Jinks Fires, who is the brother of Racing Hall of Fame jockey Earlie Fires.
