DeShawn Parker named 2021 Woolf Award winner

DeShawn Parker has been selected by his fellow riding peers as the winner of the 2021 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, it was announced Thursday morning by Santa Anita, which has presented the award annually since 1950.

The Woolf Award is named for George Woolf, the Hall of Fame rider who is best known for piloting Seabiscuit to a celebrated victory over 1937 Triple Crown winner War Admiral in the Pimlico Special match race in 1938. Woolf won numerous other major races during his career, notably the inaugural Santa Anita Handicap in 1935 aboard Azucar. He died following an accident at Santa Anita in 1946. Four years later, the award was first presented in his honor.

As the award is now voted on by members of the Jockeys’ Guild, and is designed to recognize achievements on the track and contributions off it, the Woolf Award is considered one of the most prized honors bestowed upon a rider. This year’s other finalists were Alex Birzer, Jorge Martin Bourdieu, Kendrick Carmouche, and Aaron Gryder.

Parker, 50, has won 5,841 races during a career that began in 1988, placing him 22nd all-time, 52 victories behind Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey. Parker led the nation’s jockeys in victories in both 2010 and 2011. He is the winningest African-American jockey in the sport’s history.

Parker, tall for a jockey at 5-foot-10, long has been admired for his integrity. He first became interested in the sport owing to the involvement of his father, Daryl, a longtime racing official who became a steward in Ohio. Daryl Parker died earlier this month.

Known mostly over the years for his success at Mountaineer Park in West Virginia, Parker also has been the leading rider at tracks like Indiana Grand and Sam Houston. He is currently riding at Turfway Park in Kentucky, not far from where he was born, just across the Ohio River in Cincinnati.

The Woolf Award is usually presented to a rider during the spring at Santa Anita’s live race meeting, but the ceremony both last year – when Luis M. Quinones won – and this year have been interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Parker will receive a replica of the life-sized statue of Woolf that is in Santa Anita’s paddock garden, and the hope of track officials is that the presentation could take place in person later this season.