2010 Horseman of the Year

Each year jockeys hope that their performances and racing careers will be enough for them to receive the prestigious Warner L. Jones Jr. Horseman of the Year Award, an award that is presented by Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners Incorporated. It was recently announced that the 2010 Horseman of the Year award will be handed to Calvin Borel. Borel is no stranger when it comes to receiving awards for his outstanding performances on the racecourse, but to be awarded the Warner L. Jones Jr. Horseman of the Year Award is a great honor.

Born on 7 November 1966, Calvin Borel is one of the most celebrated jockeys of the thoroughbred horse riding community of America, and has enjoyed more than four thousand eight hundred victories during his racing career. He is affectionately nicknamed Calvin Bo-Rail, as he is known to remain at the rail or slip past other contenders with his mount when racing to save ground. His extraordinary natural ability to guide horses to victory has made him a sought after jockey, allowing him to work with horses such as Mine That Bird, Rachel Alexandra and many other top race horses.

Some of his memorable victories include the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, Steven Foster Handicap, Travers Stakes, Haskell Invitational, Woodward Stakes and the Kentucky Jockey Club. In 2009, at the Kentucky Derby, Calvin Borel was the reason there was huge upset, as he steered Mine That Bird to victory more than six lengths in front of other competitors, which is the second biggest winning margin in the history of the race. He was also able to win the 2009 Preakness Stakes on Rachel Alexandra, making him the first jockey to win two legs of the prestigious Triple Crown on two different horses.

Pat Day, a legendary Hall of Fame jockey was the very first jockey to win a thousand races at the magnificent Churchill Downs Racecourse, and on 4 June 2010, Calvin Borel became the second, which is a wonderful achievement. Borel has accomplished so much during his twenty-five years on the race track, there is no doubt that he deserves to be handed the Warner L. Jones J. Horseman of the Year Award, which will be done at a special ceremony hosted at the Kentucky Derby Museum.