Smith Seeks Another Shoemaker Award
The Breeders’ Cup will honor the most outstanding jockey of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships with the Bill Shoemaker Award based on competition in the 13 Breeders’ Cup races, October 31-November 1 at Santa Anita Park.
Hall of Fame Jockey Mike Smith is the two-time defending champion of the award. Smith has 10 mounts in this year’s Breeders’ Cup, including morning line favorites Shared Belief in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic and Judy the Beauty in $1 million DraftKings Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.
The Shoemaker Award is based on a 10-5-3-1 scoring system on first through fourth-place finishes in each of the 13 Breeders’ Cup World Championships races.
The Bill Shoemaker Award is named in honor of one of the greatest jockeys in the history of Thoroughbred racing. Shoemaker, who captured the Kentucky Derby four times, won more than 8,800 races in a career that spanned more than 40 years. In 1987, at 56, Shoemaker won the Breeders’ Cup Classic aboard Ferdinand.
Bill Shoemaker Award winners:
2003: Alex Solis
2004: John Velazquez
2005: Garrett Gomez
2006: Frankie Dettori
2007: Garrett Gomez
2008: Garrett Gomez
2009: Julien Leparoux
2010: Garrett Gomez
2011: John Velazquez
2012: Mike Smith
2013: Mike Smith