Five Riders Nominated for George Woolf Award

Robert Colton, David Flores, Richard Migliore, Mario Pino and Edgar Prado have been nominated for the 2003 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, Santa Anita Park announced.

Since 1985, jockeys from across the nation have voted to select the winner from nominations made by the Jockeys' Guild and Santa Anita Park. Ballots will be distributed early next month, and the 2003 winner will be announced in January.

Now in its 54th year, the Woolf Award memorializes the jockey known as "The Iceman," who died in a tragic spill at Santa Anita in 1946. The award recognizes Thoroughbred jockeys whose careers have reflected credit on themselves and their sport. Past winners include Hall of Fame members Bill Shoemaker, Eddie Arcaro, Laffit Pincay Jr., Angel Cordero Jr., Chris McCarron, Eddie Delahoussaye, Pat Day, Jerry Bailey and Gary Stevens. Russell Baze was the 2002 winner.

Prado, 35, is enjoying his best year in the saddle. The Lima, Peru, native has ridden 244 winners with $14,472,650 in purse earnings (through Oct. 8). He dethroned Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey while winning the Saratoga riding title, and in June he guided Sarava to a 70-1 upset in the Belmont Stakes. Prado dominated the Maryland racing scene for years and has amassed career totals of 4,653 wins from 24,145 and purses of $109,413,348.

Migliore, 38, perennially ranks among the leading riders in New York and stands at 3,611 career wins from 24,682 mounts and purses of $115,211,042. A native of New York, Migliore earned the Eclipse Award as leading apprentice rider of 1981, and he finished in the top 10 at NYRA meets in 1986, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1997 and 1998.

Flores, 34, has been a force in Southern California since 1989. The Tijuana, Mexico, native has ridden 2,418 winners from 16,711 mounts with purses totaling $81,417,264. Among the strongest riders on the circuit, David won the 1998-99 Santa Anita Winter/Spring Meeting riding title, and was proclaimed "King of the Bullring" while winning six straight riding titles at Fairplex Park from 1989-94. He has ridden winners of the Santa Anita Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup and Pacific Classic, and won his first Breeders' Cup race in 2001 aboard Tempera in the Juvenile Fillies.

Pino, 41, has ridden 5,024 winners from 31,496 mounts with purse earnings of $76,493,971. A Pennsylvania native, Pino continues to roll along in Maryland, where he has ranked among the top five in wins every year since 1979, including a career-best 297 in 2001. His 16 stakes wins in 2001 topped the circuit, and he has surpassed the 200-win mark 10 times.

Colton, 45, began his career in Washington state in 1976, and has gone on to win 3,982 races from 24,932 mounts with purses of $40,779,1663. He's a fixture in Delaware and Pennsylvania, and has won titles at Penn National, Delaware Park and Philadelphia Park.