Luis M. Quinones named winner of George Woolf Award

Veteran rider Luis M. Quinones is the 2020 winner of the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, given to a rider by his peers for his career in the saddle and his personal character, it was announced Thursday morning by Santa Anita, where the award has been presented each year since 1950.

Quinones, 41, beat out a strong group that included Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, as well as Tyler Baze, Chris Emigh, and James Graham.

“It’s a great honor just to be on the ballot for this award,” Quinones said in a press release put out by Santa Anita. “Winning the Woolf Award is incredible. I’m looking forward to coming out there and I know this is something I will never forget.”

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Quinones, a native of Puerto Rico, was the second-winningest jockey in North America last year – behind only Eclipse Award winner Irad Ortiz Jr. – with 314 victories after being the third-winningest rider in North America in both 2017 and 2018. Last year marked a single-season record for Quinones for both victories and purse earnings, with his mounts earning more than $3.65 million.

Quinones plies his trade at Mountaineer Park, Thistledown, and Mahoning Valley, where he is currently based. He had won 1,909 races through racing on Wednesday in a career that began in 1997.

The Woolf Award can only be won once. It is named for the Hall of Fame jockey who is best known for riding Seabiscuit to victory in the 1938 Pimlico Special match race against War Admiral, as well as for winning the inaugural Santa Anita Handicap in 1935 on Azucar. Woolf lost his life in an accident at Santa Anita in 1946 at age 35.

Quinones, who is married and has three daughters, will receive the award on March 22 in a ceremony in the winner’s circle.