Toronto, ON – Stewart Elliott, whose reputation as one of thoroughbred racing’s hardest working jockeys is well-earned, was today named the 2010 recipient of the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award.
Born March 1, 1965, Elliott lived in Toronto until he was seven years old, when, in 1972 he moved with his family to Hong Kong for six years, where his father Dennis rode. Upon returning to North America, Elliott, Jr. began to think about a riding career. He won his first race at Keystone Park (now Philadelphia Park) on January 31, 1981 with Jack’s Ruby.
Elliott has worked tirelessly at his craft over the years. On May 13, 2003, he recorded his 3,000th career win, reaching the 4,000-win plateau on January 18, 2009, at Philadelphia Park. He has 4,185 career wins through May 31, 2010.
For all the awards and honours he’s received over the years, including his high-profile Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes triumphs with fan favourite Smarty Jones in 2004, Elliott regards the Gomez Award as one of his most cherished accolades.
“I was so surprised when I got the call,” said Elliott. “It was the last thing I ever expected. But I am so honoured and so thrilled to receive this award. I certainly have a lot of respect for the riders who have won it in the past.”
The coveted Gomez Award is given to the person, Canadian-born, Canadian-raised or regular rider in the country for more than five years, who has made significant contributions to the sport.
Presented annually on Woodbine Oaks day (Sunday, June 13, in 2010) at Woodbine, the honour is in memory of one of the sport’s most heralded and revered performers. The Cuban-born Gomez died of complications after a three-horse accident in the 1980 Canadian Oaks.
As a lasting reminder of his contributions, a life-size statue of Gomez, who called Toronto home and raised a family there, proudly overlooks Woodbine’s pristine walking ring. A replica is presented to each year’s honouree.
Elliott is no stranger to Woodbine. He rode here in 2004, when he won with one of his five mounts on the Queen’s Plate card. Before then he hadn’t ridden at Woodbine since 1987, when he won 22 races from 332 starts. He has enjoyed success at the Toronto oval in recent times, including his victory with Milwaukee Appeal in the 2009 running of the Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser.
“I love Woodbine,” said Elliott. “Even when I rode there in 1987, the facility was beautiful. They’ve done a wonderful job of making it a first-class place for the horsemen and the fans.”
He plans on returning to Toronto to receive the Gomez Award on June 13.
“I’ve been pretty fortunate to have a good career,” offered Elliott. “Health-wise, I’ve been very lucky. To ride a horse like Smarty Jones and now to receive this, I’m just very grateful.”
Elliott joins Ron Turcotte, Johnny Longden, Sandy Hawley, Don MacBeth, Chris Rogers, Jeff Fell, Lloyd Duffy, Hugo Dittfach, Robin Platts, Larry Attard, Don Seymour, David Gall, Richard Grubb, Irwin Driedger, David Clark, Jim McKnight, Chris Loseth, Richard Dos Ramos, Robert Landry, Francine Villeneuve, Sam Krasner, John LeBlanc Sr., George Ho Sang, Jack Lauzon and last year’s recipient, Robert King Jr., as Gomez honourees.
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