Melancon is award finalist

Veteran thoroughbred jockey Gerard Melancon, a native of Rayne, was named one of six finalists for the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Award. The award is voted on by jockeys who are members of the Jockeys’ Guild and has been presented annually since 1950 to a thoroughbred jockey in North America who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduct, both on and off the racetrack. The remaining five finalists alongside Melancon are Victor Espinoza, who jockeyed American Pharoah to a Triple Crown; Eclipse Award winner Javier Castellano; Joe Bravo; and Joe Steiner. The winner will be announced in February with an award ceremony to take place at Santa Anita Racecourse in California next March. Melancon, 48, has been the leading rider numerous times at Evangeline Downs, Delta Downs and Louisiana Downs and currently ranks 48th all-time amongst jockeys with 4,422 victories.