Sibille honored with 2005 George Woolf Award

Retired rider Ray Sibille was honored with the George Woolf Award on Sunday (Benoit Photo)

Retired jockey Ray Sibille was named the winner of the 2005 George Woolf

Memorial Jockey Award on Sunday. The Sunset, Louisiana, native announced his

retirement on July 21 last year.

"It's quite an honor, and I guess this puts me up there in the major

leagues," Sibille said. "It's great to be recognized by your fellow riders."

Jockeys nationwide have voted since 1985 on the recipient of the George Woolf

Award, which pays homage to riders whose careers and personal character reflect

positively on themselves and the sport of Thoroughbred racing. It is prized as

one of racing's most prestigious honors and past winners include Bill Shoemaker

(1951), Eddie Arcaro (1953), Laffit Pincay Jr. (1970), Eddie Delahoussaye (1981)

and Pat Day (1985). The Award is named after George "the Iceman" Woolf, who died

from an accident in 1946.

Sibille, who grew up with Delahoussaye in Louisiana and is the brother-in-law

of Day, rode a total of 4,264 winners during his 35-year long career. The

52-year-old's first winner came at Evangeline Downs in 1968, but that was just

the beginning. Moving his tack to the Chicago area in 1973, he proceeded to win

riding titles at Sportsman's Park, Hawthorne and Arlington Park.

Sibille moved once again and from 1981 to 1993 rode in Southern

California. It was during this period that he earned some of his biggest

wins, piloting Castilla (Bold Reason) to victory in the 1982 Yellow

Ribbon S. (G1), and also aboard Great Communicator in his 1988 San Juan

Capistrano Invitational H. (G1) win.