Santa Anita . Park announced a group of five finalists for the 2022 George Woolf Memorial Racing Awards, with winners to be announced in February.
Jockeys Joe Bravo, Glenn Corbett, Julien Leparoux, Rodney Prescott and Tim Thornton, riders excelled nationally, including a select group of 2022 finalists.
One of the most prestigious awards in American motorsport, the Woolf Prize, determined by a national vote of racers, can only be won once.
Presented annually by Santa Anita since 1950, the Woolf Awards recognize racers whose profession and personality garner respect for the individual and the Purebred sport. This trophy is a replica of the life-size statue of legendary racer George Woolf in the Hall of Fame, which decorates Santa Anita’s Paddock Garden area.
In a move of national significance, Joe Bravo, a dominant force in the Mid-Atlantic region and especially in Monmouth Park since the early 1990s, announced that he would relocate his base of operations full-time to Southern California this past summer and hire local agent Matt Nakatani. Long known as “Jersey Joe”, Bravo made an instant attraction at Del Mar, won 21 races, three of which earned a spot while finishing fifth in their Summer Meet rankings.
A great racer for speed and condition, Bravo, 50, has won 13 equestrian titles in Monmouth and as of December 19, have 5,523 career wins since his debut at the age of 17 in 1988. As a third-generation racer, Bravo’s biggest career win comes in at Santa Anita on the train Blue Award in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) 2019.
Hard work is the hallmark of Glenn Corbett’s career, which began in May 1985 in Penn . National Circuit. Corbett, 55, was born in Georgia and right after graduating from high school started his racing career, he drove at 36 different racetracks in 18 states while riding more than 1,000 races a year in total. four times. A pillar at Prairie grasslands in Des Moines, Iowa since its opening in 1989, he has also driven at Turf Paradise in Phoenix since 1992. A member of the Prairie Meadows Hall of Fame, Corbett, who considered a professional Rodeo career while still in high school, notched his 4,000th career win on March 8. at Turf Paradise.
Regarded as one of the world’s top racers, Julien Leparoux, French-French born July 15, 1983, in Senlis, France, is a dominant force in Keeneland. A 12-time Keeneland driver, since 2006, Leparoux is second in bets wins with 66 and Keeneland’s all-time leader with 507 wins. At 38, Leparoux, also the son of a racer, has 2,840 wins through December 19 and has amassed $179,307,259 in career earnings.
Born on March 8, 1974, in Portland, Ind., Rodney Prescott is the Hoosier State’s all-time top racer and once again ranked among the top 10 at the recently concluded competition. Indiana Grand race meeting. After a stint as a groom after graduating from high school, Prescott earned his first win at age 20 at River Downs. Three-times racer takes the lead at Indiana Grand (2004, 2005 & 2018), Prescott recorded his 4,000th career win there on November 4.
A native of Lake Charles, La., Tim Thornton is very much a racer on the trail, as evidenced by him setting a single-day record on October 23 by winning seven races at the Delta Downs. Formerly a regular racer at the Chicago area tracks, he passed his first on June 13, 2003 and registered his 2,000th career win on February 16. past at Delta Downs. In April, he scored his third consecutive Delta riding title. In 2018, he ranked second behind Eclipse Prize winner Irad Ortiz Jr with 286 wins and 40th nationally in winnings with $4.9 million.
DeShaun Parker has won the 2021 Woolf Memorial Award, thus becoming the 72nd recipient.
Considered one of the highest-earning racers of his time, Woolf was a household name for his victory in the inaugural Santa Anita Handicap aboard the Azucar on 23 February 1935, and for his his bond with the immortal Seabiscuit, whom he rode to victory over the Triple Crown Champion War Admiral in the 1/3/16 mile match race at Pimlico racetrack on November 1, 1938.
Known by the nickname “Iceman”, Woolf is revered by fellow racers, members of the media, and millions of racing fans across the United States as a fierce and professional competitor. excellent career.
