Julien Leparoux Birthdate: July 15, 1983 Birthplace: Senlis, France Residence: Louisville, KY Family: Single

2009 Gulfstream Record

 Career:

• Winner of the Bill Shoemaker Award after riding three winners in the 2009 Breeders' Cup races (Informed Decision, She Be Wild and Furthest Land).
• Through Sept. 6, 2009, Leparoux had won 194 races from 970 mounts and had earned $11,486,232 in purses to rank second to Ramon DOminguez among all North American jockeys.
• Top mounts for 2008 include Macho Again (G2 Jim Dandy Stakes, Derby Trial), Forever Together (G1 Diana Stakes), Pure Clan (G1 American Oaks Invitational, G3 Regret Stakes), Ready Set (G3 West Virginia Derby), and Graeme Six (G3 Winning Colors Stakes).
• Took the inaugural edition of the Juvenile Turf in 2007 with Nownownow, his only Breeders’ Cup winner to date.
• Eclipse Award winner for leading apprentice in 2006… Enjoyed a record-setting apprentice season that year. Was the nation’s leading rider with 403 wins and earnings of $12,491,316, the most by an apprentice in racing history.
• Owns riding titles at Turfway Park (shattered record for victories during the 2006 winter-spring and fall meets), Churchill Downs (first bug boy to do so since 1949, then again in 2008), and Keeneland (first apprentice in history to earn a title at the Lexington oval, and again in Spring 2007, and Spring 2008).
• Finished the 2006 Saratoga meet with 28 wins, the most in track history by an apprentice.
• Attempted a move to Southern California at the end of 2007, but wound up switching his tack to Louisiana in January of 2008. Rode primarily in Kentucky and New York for the rest of the 2008 season.
• Launched his career at Saratoga in 2005… his first win came there aboard Easter Guardian on Aug. 18… First stakes victory was on Feb. 11, 2006 at Turfway aboard Cat Quatorze in the Likely Exchange for trainer Helen Pitts... Earned his first Grade 1 victory on Aug. 12, 2006 aboard Gorella in the Beverly D. at Arlington Park.
• Came to Southern California in January of 2003 to work as an exercise rider for trainer Patrick Biancone. As Leparoux’s riding talents became evident, Biancone made Leparoux his first-call rider.
• The son of former jockey-turned-trainer Robert Leparoux, he grew up around racing in Chantilly, France, and rode competitive hunter/jumpers until his father allowed him to begin a racing career at 18. He said he knew he wanted to be a jockey from the time he was five.