Jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. was selected as the 2024 Mike Venezia Memorial Award recipient, the New York Racing Association said in a press release on Wednesday.
The Louisiana native was chosen by a committee comprised of members of the Venezia family, representatives of The Jockeys' Guild and retired Eclipse Award-winning jockey Richard Migliore. Hernandez Jr. will be recognized at Saratoga Race Course on Friday, Aug. 23.
The Mike Venezia Memorial Award is presented annually to a jockey who displays the extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship that personified Venezia, who died as the result of injuries suffered in a spill in 1988.
Since the inaugural award was given in 1989, other winners include Bill Shoemaker, Chris McCarron, Gary Stevens and last year's recipient Junior Alvarado.
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