Ray Sibille
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Raymond Frederick Sibille (born September 13, 1952, in
Sunset, Louisiana Sunset is a town in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,897 at the 2010 census, up from 2,352 in 2000. It is part of the Opelousas– Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography According to the United ...
) is a retired American
Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and Horse industry, industry involving the Horse racing, racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter know ...
jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...
. In a career that spanned thirty-five years, he rode his first winner on June 29, 1969, at
Evangeline Downs Evangeline Downs Racetrack & Casino is a racetrack in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, just east of Opelousas. It is owned and operated by Boyd Gaming. With a one-mile oval track, the facility provides close to 1,000 horse stalls for Thoroughbred ...
in
Carencro, Louisiana Carencro (; historically ) is a city in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is a suburb of the nearby city of Lafayette. The population was 7,526 at the 2010 census, up from 6,120 in 2000; at the 2020 census, its population was 9, ...
. In 1973, he moved to compete at the
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
-area tracks, where he won riding titles at
Arlington Park Arlington Park (formerly known as Arlington International Racecourse) is a former horse race track in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, Illinois. Once called the ''Arlington Park Jockey Club'', it was located adjacent to the Illinois Rou ...
,
Hawthorne Race Course Hawthorne Race Course is a racetrack for horse racing in Stickney, Illinois, near Chicago. The oldest continually run family-owned racetrack in North America, in 2009 the Horseplayers Association of North America introduced a rating system for ...
, and Sportsman's Park Racetrack. In 1981, he relocated to
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
, where he won numerous top races. In 1988, trainer Thad Ackel hired him as the regular rider for
Great Communicator Great Communicator (1983–1990) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 1988 Breeders' Cup Turf. Owned by George Ackel and trained by his son Thad, Great Communicator was a grandson of the Hall of Fame sire Bold Ruler, ...
, and Sibille met his greatest success that year, winning major races such as the
Hollywood Turf Cup Stakes The Hollywood Turf Cup is a Graded stakes race, Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race for three-years-old or older over a distance of one and one-half miles (12 furlongs) on the Grass, turf track scheduled annually in late November at Del Mar R ...
,
San Juan Capistrano San Juan Capistrano (also known colloquially as San Juan or SJC) is a city in southern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 35,253 at the 2020 Census. Named for Saint John of Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano was founded ...
,
San Luis Obispo ; ; ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''tiłhini'') is a city and county seat of San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, San Luis Obispo is roughly halfway betwee ...
, and San Marcos Handicaps before capping off the year with a win in the
Breeders' Cup Turf The Breeders' Cup Turf is a Weight for Age Thoroughbred horse race on turf for three-year-olds and up. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships. The race's current ...


In 1993, Sibille returned to race in Chicago, where he competed until retiring on July 24, 2004. On November 8, 2004, the
Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...
recognized his distinguished career and riding accomplishments. In 2005, he was voted the
George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award The George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award has been presented by Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, annually since 1950 to the thoroughbred horse racing jockey in North America who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduct ...
, a one-time honor given annually by the members of the
Jockeys' Guild The Jockeys' Guild Inc. is an American trade association based in Lexington, Kentucky, representing thoroughbred horse racing and American quarter horse professional jockeys. The organization filed for Chapter 11 protection from creditors in ban ...
to a jockey in
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who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduct, on and off the racetrack. Sibille was a member of the Jockeys' Guild for more than thirty years and served on its
Board of Directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...
as well as the organization's financial committee. He is an officer of the MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund, which assists former jockeys experiencing hard times and the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation for at-risk kids.


References


February 20, 2005 at Bloodhorse.com on Ray Sibille being voted the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award

Ray Sibille at the NTRA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sibille, Ray 1952 births Living people American jockeys Cajun jockeys People from Sunset, Louisiana Sportspeople from St. Landry Parish, Louisiana