Veteran rider Joe Bravo, who moved his tack last year from New Jersey to California, has been named the recipient of Santa Anita's 2022 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award. The Woolf Award recognizes those riders whose careers and personal character compliment the sport of Thoroughbred racing. It can only be won once and is voted on by jockeys nationwide. Bravo will be honored in a Runhappy winner's circle ceremony at Santa Anita Sunday, Mar. 27.
“It really is an honor to now be part of this circle of riders, joining all of these guys that I grew up with or grew up underneath, I'll put it like that,” said Bravo. “I was lucky enough to win the East Coast version of the Woolf Award, the Mike Venezia Award in 2018, and now to be honored here on the West Coast, wow, you don't know what an honor this is. My Dad will be coming out and this makes all the hard days, the mornings that we work, it makes it all worthwhile. There's probably only one award above this that I'd like to have, and that's the Hall of Fame.”
A native of New Jersey, Bravo–whose nickname has long been “Jersey Joe”–has been a dominant force in the Mid-Atlantic, particularly at Monmouth Park, dating back to the early 1990s. He announced his move to California last year, stating it was due to a change in riding rules instituted by the New Jersey Racing Commission. Bravo, who has won 13 riding titles at Monmouth and nine at the Meadowlands, has won nearly 5,600 races.
The Woolf Award was named for the late Hall of Fame rider who is probably best known for his win aboard Seabiscuit over War Admiral in the 1938 Pimlico match race. An estimated radio audience of 40 million tuned in. Nicknamed “The Iceman,” Woolf died in 1946 from complications arising from a racing accident at Santa Anita the day prior. The Woolf Award has been presented annually by Santa Anita since 1950. The trophy is a replica of the life-sized statue of Woolf that adorns Santa Anita's Paddock Gardens area.
Deshawn Parker won the Woolf Award last year. Finalists this year included Glenn Corbett, Julien Leparoux, Rodney Prescott, and Tim Thornton.
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