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JULIEN LEPAROUX WINS 2026 GEORGE WOOLF MEMORIAL AWARD THROUGH A NATIONWIDE VOTE OF HIS FELLOW PEERS

Press Release from Santa Anita Park - Monday March 23, 2026

ARCADIA, CA (March 23, 2026)—Julien Leparoux is the winner of the 2026 George Woolf Award via a nationwide vote of his fellow riders.

The George Woolf Award honors riders whose careers and personal character earn esteem for the individual and for the sport of Thoroughbred racing. It has been presented annually by Santa Anita Park since 1950. As each year’s winner is selected by a vote of fellow jockeys, it is one of the most cherished honors given to a rider.

“This is a proud moment,” Leparoux said by phone from Kentucky. “This award is so unique and special. To be recognized by my fellow jockeys is really special.”

A 42-year-old native of France, Leparoux has been riding in the U.S. since 2005. In 2006, he won the Eclipse Award as North America’s outstanding apprentice jockey. Then in 2009, Leparoux also took home the Eclipse Award for outstanding jockey in North America. He is one of only four jockeys to win an Eclipse Award as both an apprentice and a journeyman.

Entering Friday, Leparoux had won 3,066 races and tallied purse earnings of more than $206 million. His biggest success has come at the Breeders’ Cup where he’s won seven of the prestigious races. His best Breeders’ Cup performance came in 2009 at Santa Anita. That year he won the Filly & Mare Sprint with Informed Decision, Juvenile Fillies aboard She Be Wild and the Dirt Mile on Furthest Land.

Also in 2009, Leparoux won the Grade I Santa Anita Handicap with Einstein for trainer Helen Pitts. It’s the only time a female trainer has won the Big Cap.

“We beat some nice horses in that race,” Leparoux recalled. “It was a special day, especially to do it for the first woman. He was a big, black horse. People loved him.”

Leparoux currently rides full-time at Turfway Park in Kentucky. He resides in Louisville with his wife, Shea, and two sons: Mitchell, age 10; and Vinn, who is eight. Shea is a daughter of late trainer Mike Mitchell, who spent decades training on the Southern California circuit.

“It was my dream as a child to be jockey,” Leparoux said. ”To be able to live your dream for 20 years, and to know that you are respected by your colleagues, it means everything.”

 Leparoux will be honored with the Woolf Award in a winner’s circle ceremony at Santa Anita in April.