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Leparoux Wins Venezia Award

Jockey Julien Leparoux as the winner of the 2022 Mike Venezia Memorial Award, NYRA announced Friday. He 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. Leparoux will be recognized in a winner's circle ceremony at Saratoga Aug. 12.

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. Venezia, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., won more than 2,300 races during his 25-year career.

“The Venezia Award is a unique honor because it's about so much more than simply winning races on the track,” said Leparoux. “I am humbled and thankful to be selected as this year's winner and look forward to thanking the Venezia family here at Saratoga Race Course on August 12.”

“Julien is richly deserving of this honor as a great professional both on and off the track,” said Terry Meyocks, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Jockeys' Guild. “For years, he has represented our sport with distinction. We welcome him to the ranks of distinguished riders who have previously won the Venezia Award.”

During his career, Leparoux has amassed 2,880 wins and more than $183 million in earnings. Those victories include seven Breeders' Cup races, among them the 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Mile aboard champion and newly inducted Hall of Famer Tepin (Bernstein). At the 2009 Breeders' Cup, Leparoux won the Shoemaker Award as the winningest jockey with three wins.

Previous Venezia Award winners include Bill Shoemaker, Angel Cordero, Jr., Jerry Bailey, Mike Smith, Gary Stevens, Richard Migliore, Patti Cooksey, Edgar Prado, Ramon Dominguez, Joe Bravo, Javier Castellano and DeShawn Parker.

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Callaghan to Receive Avelino Gomez Memorial Award

Slade Callaghan, who has recorded nearly 850 career wins, including 31 stakes, has been named the 2022 recipient of the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award. The award is given to the person, Canadian-born, Canadian-raised or regular rider in the country for more than five years, who has made significant contributions to the sport.

“I was really humbled,” said Callaghan. “I've been here at Woodbine 28 years and every year I've been here I've seen so many great riders, who have had amazing careers, receive this award. For me to be added to this list is overwhelming. It's also gratifying. I don't know where the time has gone. It's been about 10 years since I was what I'd call semi-retired, riding a few horses, but definitely not full time. I love this racetrack and I love the people. I'm glad I made the decision to ride here.”

Callaghan, 51, has enjoyed great success over a riding career that began when he was just 16. In 1994, he made decision to come to Canada with the hope of becoming a regular at Woodbine, a place where his brother, Brett, had also competed. His first Canadian victory came at Fort Erie that same year. In 1999, Callaghan won 60 races, including six stakes. After a 48-win campaign in 2000, Callaghan posted 43 victories in 2001 and 54 in 2002. One year later, he topped the $2 million plateau in purse earnings, marking the fifth straight year he reached that number. In 2004, he posted a career-best 64 wins.

This year's Avelino Gomez Memorial Award ceremony will take place July 24 at Woodbine.

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Clark Named Thoroughbred Owner Conference Keynote Speaker

Stacie Clark, operations consultant for the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA), will be the keynote speaker for OwnerView's in-person Thoroughbred Owner Conferenceat Saratoga Race Course July 25-26, 2022.

Clark has been with the TAA since its inception in 2012 and assumed the role of operations consultant in 2014. Previously, she created the first in-house retirement program while serving as Thoroughbred Retirement Program manager at Adena Springs.

Clark rode as a jockey in Ontario and was nominated for the 1994 Sovereign Award as Outstanding Apprentice in Canada. When Woodbine Racetrack expanded its television department in 1999, she crossed over to associate producer and racing television commentator.

Clark will provide her perspective on the evolution of aftercare from the early 2000s to today, highlight the progress made by the industry, and discuss future challenges.

“Thoroughbred aftercare has moved to the forefront of industry priorities in the last 20 years or so, and Stacie has been one of the great influencers in moving the needle in this area, including participating in previous Thoroughbred Owner Conferences,” said Gary Falter, project manager for OwnerView. “In both our in-person and virtual conferences, OwnerView has emphasized the importance of aftercare as part of a stable's business plan, and we are excited to have Stacie joining us as our keynote to talk about this important topic.”

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DeShawn Parker Scores 6000th Win

Jockey DeShawn Parker scored his 6000th win aboard For Mama at Horseshoe Indianapolis Tuesday night. Only 20 other jockeys have reached that milestone.

“This means the world to me, and I was riding for my dad, because I couldn't have been here without him,” said Parker, who lost his Dad, Daryl, a longtime steward in the state of Ohio in the spring of 2021 to cancer. “He knew I was getting close to this milestone, but he never said much about any of the milestones. He's the one that kept me calm, and if I was getting worked up over something, I would give him a call and tell him what was going on and he'd calm me down. I miss not being able to do that.”

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