The three jockeys nominated for the 2024 Sam Thompson Memorial Jockey Award are Jesus Ayala, Francisco Calderon, and Cruz Mendez.

by Greg Thompson, StallioneSearch.com

The three jockeys nominated for the 2024 Sam Thompson Memorial Jockey Award are Jesus Ayala, Francisco Calderon, and Cruz Mendez.

The Sam Thompson Memorial Jockey Award was first given in 2011 and was inspired by the long-standing George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, which has been awarded to jockeys in the Thoroughbred industry since 1950. Sam Thompson, a Quarter Horse jockey, was well-liked and highly respected both on and off the racetrack. He tragically passed away in 2008 due to injuries sustained in a riding accident at Los Alamitos.

During his career, Thompson was known for his leadership qualities in the jockeys' room. He represented fellow riders as a Jockeys' Guild senator and as the room representative at Los Alamitos. Additionally, he served as a council member of the Los Alamitos division of the Race Track Chaplaincy of America.

In 2024, the Sam Thompson Memorial Jockey Award will be presented by the Sam Thompson Memorial Foundation. This award, originally created in collaboration with Speedhorse Magazine and the Jockey's Guild, will be given to the nominee who receives the most votes. The award will be presented during a special ceremony at Ruidoso Downs on All American Derby (G1) day, which falls on Sunday, September 1, 2024.

2023 marked a change in the voting process. The past Sam Thompson Memorial Jockey Award winners will form the nominating and voting committee to determine the future recipient of the Award.

Previous winners include Roy Brooks (2011), Gilbert Ortiz (2012), G. R. Carter, Jr. (2013), Cody Jensen (2014), Eddie Garcia (2015), Ramon Sanchez (2016), Cesar De Alba (2017), Ricky Ramirez (2018), Esgar Ramirez (2019), no award given in 2020 due to COVID, Jimmy D. Brooks (2021), Cody Smith (2022), and Eduardo Nicasio (2023).