Forever linked to 2004 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1) champion Smarty Jones, jockey Stewart Elliott now has another place in racing history: as the 68th winner of the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, Santa Anita announced Friday.
The honor is especially meaningful because it’s determined by a vote of fellow riders across the country, and because it recognizes moral character as well as professional accomplishments.
Elliott was chosen from an outstanding group of finalists comprising Kerwin Clark, Julien Leparoux, Glen Murphy, and Scott Stevens.
“On behalf of our membership, I’m elated that Stewart has been selected as this year’s Woolf Award winner,” Jockeys’ Guild National Manager Terry Meyocks said in the Santa Anita press release.
“Stewart is an exemplary example of what the George Woolf Award is all about. He’s not only a top rider, he’s a top human being as well and he continues to be a solid role model for jockeys everywhere. On behalf of the Guild, I’d like to congratulate him on what is surely a crowning achievement in his career.”
Elliott’s agent, Craig Stephen, likewise offered praise.
“He’s just class through and through,” Stephen said. “He loves to work. He’s happiest when he’s on the back of a horse.”
A Toronto native, Elliott long plied his trade in the mid-Atlantic, where he teamed up with trainer John Servis and his budding star Smarty Jones. Aboard for all nine of the champion’s career starts, Elliott guided him through an unbeaten sequence including the Count Fleet, Southwest, Rebel, Arkansas Derby (G2), Kentucky Derby, and Preakness. Smarty Jones’ Triple Crown bid ended with a heartbreaking second in the Belmont (G1), which also turned out to be his final appearance.
Also for Servis, Elliott rode Jostle, the winner of the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) and Alabama (G1) in 2000; Round Pond, whose sophomore season climaxed in the 2005 Acorn (G1); and Rockport Harbor, the 2004 Remsen (G2) hero. Among Elliott’s notable mounts for other trainers were Canadian champion filly Milwaukee Appeal and Grade 1-winning sprinter Wildcat Heir.
Last year, Elliott ventured to the Southern California circuit, welcomed by such trainers as Hall of Famers Bob Baffert and Neil Drysdale.
Elliott will receive the Woolf Award, commemorating the all-time great rider George Woolf (nicknamed “The Iceman”), at a winner’s circle ceremony next month. Since Elliott will turn 52 on March 11, it will be a terrific birthday present.
