SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Junior Alvarado, the regular rider of the popular colt Cody’s Wish, was selected as the Mike Venezia Award winner for 2023, the New York Racing Association announced Wednesday. The Venezia Award is presented annually to a jockey who displays the extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship that personified Venezia, who died as the result of injuries suffered in a spill at Belmont Park in 1988. The award is chosen by a committee comprised of members of the Venezia family, the Jockeys’ Guild, and retired Eclipse Award winning jockey Richard Migliore, a previous Venezia Award winner. “The Venezia Memorial Award is about representing the sport we love so much in the best way possible,” Alvarado said in a release. “I am thankful and proud to be chosen as this year’s winner and I look forward to celebrating with my family and thanking the Venezia family here at Saratoga Race Course.” :: DRF's 2023 Saratoga headquarters: Previews, past performances, picks, recaps, news, and more. Alvarado, 37, a native of Venezuela, rode his first winner in Caracas in 2005. He moved to the U.S. in 2007 and rode his first U.S-based winner at Gulfstream Park that year. After winning the 2009 Arlington Park title, he moved his tack to New York. Alvarado won his first Breeders’ Cup race last year when he guided Cody’s Wish to victory in the Dirt Mile. Alvarado has won four Grade 1 races on Cody’s Wish and, earlier this year, he won the Grade 1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park board Art Collector. Alvarado, who has won 2,056 races, will be recognized in a winner’s circle ceremony Saturday at Saratoga. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.