“The Venezia Memorial Award is about representing the sport we love so much in the best way possible,” said Alvarado. “I am thankful and proud to be chosen as this year's winner and I look forward to celebrating with my family and thanking the Venezia family here at Saratoga Race Course.”

The Mike Venezia Memorial Award is presented annually by the New York Racing Association 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.

“Junior is a true professional at what he does, both as a top jockey and as a role model,” said Terry Meyocks, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Jockeys' Guild. “The winners of the Venezia Award are ambassadors for Thoroughbred racing; they're champions on and off the track. We welcome Junior to the ranks of those who have previously been honored with the Venezia Award.”

A native of Barquisimeto, Venezuela and the son of jockey Rafael Alvarado, Junior Alvarado, 37, rode his first winner in 2005 at La Rinconada Hippodrome in Caracas before moving to the U.S. in 2007 when he rode his first winner at Gulfstream Park. After earning the 2009 riding title at Arlington Park, Alvarado moved to New York in 2010 and he has been a mainstay on the circuit ever since, winning the 2014 GI Whitney S. on Moreno and racking up more than 1,400 wins and more than $106 million in earnings at the NYRA tracks. For his career, Alvarado has more than 2,000 wins and more than $126.9 million in earnings.

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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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Parker, based at Indiana Grand, was chosen in ballots cast by more than 350 professional jockeys at North American tracks. He outpolled a distinguished group of finalists including Junior Alvarado, Julien Leparoux, Scott Stevens and Gerard Melancon, and will be recognized in a special ceremony on Thursday, September 2 at Saratoga Race Course.

Created in 1989, the Mike Venezia Memorial Award is awarded 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.

“It's an honor just to be on the ballot for this award,” said Parker. “It's extra special that my fellow riders are the ones who made the selection. I take a lot of pride in being a role model both on and off the track. I will cherish this award.”

In a career that has spanned more than 30 years, Parker, 50, was America's leading rider in 2010 with 377 wins, becoming the first Black rider to do so since 1895. He led all jockeys again in 2011 with 400 wins; and is now closing in on 5,900 career wins. A native of Cincinnati, Parker was a dominant rider for more than 20 years at Mountaineer Park in West Virginia. He has also enjoyed considerable success at Indiana Grand, where he was leading rider in 2020, and at Sam Houston Race Park, where he was leading rider in 2015.

Winning the Venezia Award is another major accomplishment for Parker in a year he described as “personally emotional but exciting.” In early March, Parker lost his father, Daryl Parker, a longtime Ohio racing steward, to cancer. Parker called his father his mentor and inspiration for becoming a jockey, especially after telling his 5-foot-10-inch son to ignore the naysayers who said he was too tall to make it as a professional rider.

“My idol, my best friend and a great father!” Parker said of his father. “He meant so much to my life and my career. I can only hope to be as great as he was.”

Two weeks after the passing of his father, Parker was selected by a vote of jockeys nationwide as the winner of the 2021 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, presented by Santa Anita Park.

The Venezia Memorial Award is a 13-inch bronze sculpture with a title that reads, “The Jockey, A Champion.” Parker joins a legendary group of riders who have won the award previously, including Venezia, who posthumously earned the inaugural award in 1989, as well as Bill Shoemaker, Angel Cordero, Jr., Jerry Bailey, Mike Smith, Gary Stevens, Richard Migliore, Edgar Prado, Ramon Dominguez, Joe Bravo and Javier Castellano.

For Migliore, the 2003 Venezia Memorial Award winner who is now with NYRA TV, the award continues the legacy of Venezia.

“Winning the award myself was one the proudest moments of my career because Mike Venezia embodied everything you look for in a rider,” said Migliore. “He continues to be an example for today's jockeys and for our sport. DeShawn Parker is a worthy addition to this group of jockeys.”

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Parker, based at Indiana Grand, was chosen in ballots cast by more than 350 professional jockeys at North American tracks. He outpolled a distinguished group of finalists including Junior Alvarado, Julien Leparoux, Scott Stevens and Gerard Melancon, and will be recognized in a special ceremony Thursday, Sept. 2 at Saratoga.

Created in 1989, the Mike Venezia Memorial Award is awarded 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, NY, won more than 2,300 races during his 25-year career.

“It's an honor just to be on the ballot for this award,” said Parker. “It's extra special that my fellow riders are the ones who made the selection. I take a lot of pride in being a role model both on and off the track. I will cherish this award.”

In a career that has spanned more than 30 years, Parker, 50, was America's leading rider in 2010 with 377 wins, becoming the first Black rider to do so since 1895. He led all jockeys again in 2011 with 400 wins, and is now closing in on 5,900 career wins. A native of Cincinnati, Parker was a dominant rider for more than 20 years at Mountaineer Park in West Virginia. He has also enjoyed considerable success at Indiana Grand, where he was leading rider in 2020, and at Sam Houston Race Park, where he was leading rider in 2015.

Winning the Venezia Award is another major accomplishment for Parker in a year he described as “personally emotional but exciting.” In early March, Parker lost his father, Daryl Parker, a longtime Ohio racing steward, to cancer. Parker called his father his mentor and inspiration for becoming a jockey, especially after telling his 5-foot-10-inch son to ignore the naysayers who said he was too tall to make it as a professional rider.

“My idol, my best friend and a great father!” Parker said of Daryl “He meant so much to my life and my career. I can only hope to be as great as he was.”

Two weeks after the passing of his father, Parker was selected by a vote of jockeys nationwide as the winner of the 2021 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, presented by Santa Anita.

The Venezia Memorial Award is a 13-inch bronze sculpture with a title that reads, “The Jockey, A Champion.” Parker joins a legendary group of riders who have won the award previously, including Venezia, who posthumously earned the inaugural award in 1989, as well as Bill Shoemaker, Angel Cordero, Jr., Jerry Bailey, Mike Smith, Gary Stevens, Richard Migliore, Edgar Prado, Ramon Dominguez, Joe Bravo and Javier Castellano.

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Created in 1989, the Mike Venezia Memorial Award is awarded 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 competition was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making this year the first time the award will be bestowed since 2019. This year's award — in which the riders will select the winner — marks a change from the past several years when fans voted for the Venezia Award.

“No one knows better than their fellow riders who is the most deserving of this award,” said Terry Meyocks, President and CEO of the Jockeys' Guild. “No matter who is chosen this year, each of these finalists is an accomplished athlete whose skills and dedication to racing is rivaled only by the respect they earn off the track.”

For Richard Migliore of NYRA TV, a retired jockey and the 2003 Venezia Award winner, the award serves to continue the legacy of Venezia.

“Winning the award myself was one the proudest moments of my career because Mike Venezia embodied everything you look for in a rider,” said Migliore. “He continues to be a role model for riders and for our sport. This group of nominees is as well.”

The 2021 Mike Venezia Memorial Award will be presented in a special ceremony at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., on Thursday, September 2.

The first Venezia Memorial Award was awarded posthumously to Venezia in 1989. Recent winners of the award include Hall of Famer Javier Castellano [2019], Joe Bravo [2018], Kendrick Carmouche [2017], Mario Pino [2016], Jon Court [2015], Hall of Famer John Velazquez [2014], and Hall of Famer Ramon Dominguez [2013].

2021 nominee biographies:

Junior Alvarado: A native of Barquisimeto, Venezuela, and the son of a jockey, Alvarado is a mainstay on the New York and Florida racing circuits, with more than 1,800 races and $103 million in purses in a career that dates to 2007 in the U.S. In New York, Alvarado has consistently excelled, winning the 2019 Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic aboard Arlow and the Grade 1 Woodward presented by NYRA Bets on Preservationist; and in 2014, Moreno in the Grade 1 Whitney. In his first start in a Triple Crown race, the 2016 Kentucky Derby, Alvarado finished fourth aboard Mohaymen.

Julien Leparoux: A native of Senlis, France whose father was a jockey-turned-assistant trainer, Leparoux has amassed more than 2,800 wins and $175 million in prize money since moving to the U.S. in 2005. Those victories include seven Breeders' Cup races, including the 2015 Mile aboard Champion Turf Mare Tepin and the 2016 Juvenile on Classic Empire. At the 2009 Breeders' Cup, Leparoux earned the Shoemaker Award as the winningest jockey with three victories. Also in 2009, he led the North American earnings list and received the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey.

Deshawn Parker: In 2010, the Cincinnati native and son of a jockey became the first African American rider since 1895 to lead all North American jockeys in races. Racing professionally since 1988, Parker has amassed more than 5,800 wins and $75 million in earnings with many of those victories compiled at Mountaineer Park, where he was a perennial leading rider at Mountaineer Park in West Virginia for more than 20 years. Earlier this year, Parker was selected by a vote of jockeys nationwide as the winner of the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, presented annually by Santa Anita to the rider whose career and personal character earn esteem for the individual and for racing.

Gerard Melancon: On June 11, 2021 in the eighth race at Evangeline Downs, the Rayne, Louisiana native reached a milestone when he became the 37th jockey in North American history to reach 5,000 wins. Melancon's first professional ride was at Delta Downs in 1984 – and since then, he has ridden in more than 31,900 races and earned more than $88 million in purses. Melancon has won multiple riding titles at Delta Downs, Evangeline Downs and Louisiana Downs; and ridden successful horses ranging from Bonapaw and Fantasticat to Rise Up, Sabrecat, Skate Away and Zarb's Dahar.

Scott Stevens: Breaking into racing in 1976 and accepting his first mount at age 15 at Les Bois Park in his native Idaho, Stevens has established himself through the years as top rider at Turf Paradise, where he has won nine titles, and one of the best at Canterbury Downs, where he has earned three riding titles. Stevens has compiled career marks of 5,049 wins and $43,680,518 in purses to date. In 2019, he was honored with the George Woolf Award. He is the older brother of Hall of Fame rider and 1999 Venezia Memorial Award-winner Gary Stevens.

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