Junior Alvarado, Alex Birzer, Julien Leparoux, Edwin Maldonado and Rodney Prescott were selected as finalists for the 2024 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, 1/ST Racing said in a release Wednesday morning.
Presented by Santa Anita Park, the Woolf Award, which itself is a replica of the life-sized statue which adorns Santa Anita's Paddock Gardens area, is determined by a vote of jockeys nationwide. It can only be won once. The winner of the 75th annual prize will be announced in February.
Named in honor of the legendary late jockey George “The Iceman” Woolf, this year's list of nominees were all prominent in various regions, ranging from California to the Midwest, Florida and New York.
Best known as the regular rider of Bill Mott's two-time GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile hero Cody's Wish (Curlin), Junior Alvarado immigrated to America from Venezuela in 2007, established a permanent base in New York in 2010 and has 2,082 wins to his credit through Dec. 3.
Alex Birzer is a five-time leading rider at Prairie Meadow in Des Moines, Iowa and a four-time leader at The Woodlands near Kansas City. Through Dec. 3, the son of a trainer has amassed 3,826 wins.
French native Julien Leparoux established a mark of consistency at Keeneland Racecourse. He has 2,956 wins through Dec. 3 and was voted Eclipse Champion Apprentice as well as Eclipse Champion Jockey.
Unusually tall for a jockey at five feet, eight inches, Columbus, Ohio native Edwin Maldonado has been a regular on the Southern California circuit since 2010. He has pocketed 1,532 career winners through Dec. 3.
Rodney Prescott is the Hoosier State's all-time leading rider and has been a consistent top 10 rider at Horseshoe Indianapolis. Prescott has 4,112 career wins through Dec. 3.
Javier Castellano took home last year's Woolf Award.
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