NEW YORK RACE TRACK CHAPLAINCY TO HONOR JOHNNY AND LEONA VELAZQUEZ

The New York Race Track Chaplaincy is delighted to share that we will honor Hall of Fame jockey Johnny Velazquez and his wife Leona with the newly renamed John Hendrickson and Marylou Whitney Award for their longstanding support of the New York backstretch community at our 18th Annual Fundraising Brunch to be held on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at Saratoga National Golf Course in Saratoga Springs, NY.


“Johnny and Leona have demonstrated a deep commitment to the backstretch community and they continue to set a tremendous example for others to follow,” said Ramón Dominguez, President of the Board of the NY Chaplaincy. “We are proud to honor them with this prestigious award.”


The annual award was originally known as the Marylou Whitney Award but it was renamed by the chaplaincy after the sudden passing of her husband John Hendrickson on August 19, 2024.


“Like his late wife, John had a special place in his heart for the backstretch community and we thought renaming the award in this way was a fitting tribute to his legacy of humanitarian spirit,” Dominguez said.


Velazquez, who serves on the New York Race Track Chaplaincy board of directors, has won more than 6,600 races and over $492,000,000 in purses. He was inducted into National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in 2012. He has won two Eclipse Awards as the nation’s outstanding jockey (2004, 2005) as well as six Triple Crown races and 21 Breeders’ Cup races.


He has been an active member of The Jockeys’ Guild for many years and currently serves as the co-chairman of the organization. Leona has served on the Belmont Child Care Association board and her family has been active in a variety of backstretch organizations for several decades.


Individuals and organizations previously honored by the New York Race Track Chaplaincy have included Anne Campbell, Edgar Prado, Michael Dubb, Fay and David Donk, Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson, Letty and Kiaran McLaughlin, Lisa and Kenny Troutt, Debbie and Terry Finley, The New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, Irad Ortiz Jr., Andy Serling, Tracy and Todd Pletcher and, last year, Len Green.


Each year, at the Brunch, the honoree is presented with a print by equine artist Tom Chapman. In August 2024, approximately 350 supporters of the NY Race Track Chaplaincy were in attendance.


The NY Race Track Chaplaincy serves the NY backstretch and farming communities of Belmont Park, Aqueduct Racetrack, and Saratoga Race Course providing enrichment programs for children, teens and women, social services, recreational and educational programming, and non-denominational religious services.