NEWS
Five finalists for George Woolf award
Posted: Wednesday, November 19, 2008 8:36 PM
Benoit & Associates photo
Santa Anita Park named five jockeys on Wednesday as finalists for the 60th annual Santa Anita George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award.
The finalists are Gary Baze, Calvin Borel, Javier Castellano, David Flores, and John Velazquez.
Baze, based in the Pacific Northwest, has won the Longacres Mile Handicap (G3) five times in his career. The 53-year-old is Washington’s all-time leading rider.
Borel, 42, has amassed more than 4,500 wins in his career and won the 2007 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) aboard Street Sense.
Castellano moved to the United States from Venezuela in 1997 and has become one of the country’s top riders. The 31-year-old won the 2004 Breeders’ Cup Classic Powered by Dodge (G1) with Ghostzapper as well as the ’06 Preakness Stakes (G1) with Bernardini.
Flores, 40, has won three Breeders’ Cup races and also is heavily involved with different charities. He hosts an annual golf tournament each summer at Del Mar with proceeds benefiting “Orphans of Tijuana.”
The 2004 Bill Shoemaker Award winner for outstanding jockey at the Breeders’ Cup, Velazquez is a two-time Eclipse Award winner.
The Woolf Award is presented annually to the rider whose career and character bring esteem to the individual and the sport. The award is given to the winner based on the votes of fellow jockeys.
Jockey Richard Migliore won the 2008 award, beating out finalists Roberto Gonzalez, Aaron Gryder, Randall Meier, and Mario Pino.
