Nearly two weeks after being announced as recipient of the George Woolf Memorial Award, Julien Leparoux — fourth on the list ofKeeneland’s all-time leading jockeys by wins — is still overwhelmed. The trophy, presented each year at Santa Anita since 1950, “honors riders whose careers and personal character earn esteem for the individual and for the sport.” Honorees are selected by a vote of fellow jockeys.

Leparoux will receive the Woolf Award this coming weekend.

“If someone told me at the beginning of my career that I would get this award, I don’t think I would have believed it,” he said. “I am very proud of the fact that all the jockeys around the country voted for me. It means a lot.”

One of the nation’s leaders for two decades, the French-born Leparoux received his start in the U.S. at Keeneland first as an exercise rider and later as an apprentice jockey. He has topped the leaderboard here 12 times, including his rookie season in which he earned the 2006 Eclipse Award as outstanding apprentice. He became just the fourth person to win Eclipses as both an apprentice and a journeyman when he won the 2009 Eclipse Award.  

When asked for some Keeneland highlights, Leparoux smiled and shook his head in looking back on his 518 victories, including 67 stakes. He pinpointed Tepin’s score in the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) as one of the most memorable.

“So many great memories here,” he said. “All the titles and all the races. It is always special to win at Keeneland. Looking back, all of that is very, very special.”

Keeneland provided Leparoux with a life-changing event that eventually resulted in his marriage to Shea Mitchell. In October 2011, he was involved in a minor on-track mishap that prompted messages from well-wishers, including Shea Mitchell, who he met previously in Southern California. When racing shifted to Churchill Downs for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, they began dating. They married in 2012 and now have two sons.

Leparoux has been associated with Keeneland for so long that it is difficult to imagine him without the track and the track without him. He arrived from France as a dedicated worker who honed his horsemanship and riding skills for trainer Patrick Biancone. He dedicated himself to learning English by watching television and practicing at every opportunity. He continued learning to become a U.S. citizen in 2018. 

“That was always part of the plan and always on my mind,” he said. “It was a step forward that was meant to be. When you move to a country, you make it home.”