Velazquez honored with Mike Venezia Memorial Award

Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, a two-time Eclipse

Award-winning rider who serves as chairman of the Jockeys' Guild board of

directors and a board member of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys' Fund (PDJF), was

presented with the Mike Venezia Memorial Award on Saturday at

Saratoga.

Velazquez was named the winner of the Mike Venezia Memorial

Award following a fan vote conducted on

NYRA.com. The award was formerly voted upon by the jockey colony of the New

York Racing Association, which created the award in 1989 to recognize those

riders who display the sportsmanship and citizenship that defined Venezia.

During a special ceremony in the winner's circle following Saratoga's 3RD race, Velazquez was presented with the award by Helene Venezia, wife

of Mike Venezia, who passed away in 1988 after sustaining injuries in a racing

accident at Belmont Park. Venezia, a native of Brooklyn, won more than

2,300 races during his 25-year career.

Also in attendance for Saturday's

presentation were Venezia's daughter, Allison, her husband, James McGowan, and

their two children.

"I never got to meet Mike Venezia, but I heard so much

about him -- he was a great jockey, a great person and most of all a great family

man," said Velazquez, 42, who has won more races than any other jockey at

Saratoga and is the nation's all-time money-earning rider. "I was telling his

wife those are big boots to fill, and I was honored to be recognized for those

qualities."

Previous winners of the Venezia Award:

2013		Ramon Dominguez		1997		Robbie Davis
2006		Edgar Prado		1996		Laffit Pincay Jr.
2004		Patricia Cooksey		1995		Pat Day
2003		Richard Migliore		1994		Mike Smith
2002		Dean Kutz		1993		Jerry Bailey
2001		Mike Luzzi		1992		Angel Cordero Jr.
2000		Jorge Chavez		1991		Chris McCarron
1999		Gary Stevens		1990		Bill Shoemaker
1998		Eddie Maple		1989		Mike Venezia (posthumously)

Note: The award was not given in 2005 nor from 2007-12

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