Baze Rides to Top in Jockey Wins
Bay Meadows Rider Passes Pincay Jr.'s 9,530 Mark
Thoroughbred horse racing's Russell Baze, 48, is going strong. Voted the 2002 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, Baze is now first in all-time riding victories.
Jockey Russell Baze, with over 9,500 thoroughbred racing wins to his credit, plus winning the 2002 George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, and entering the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1999, has established himself as the all-time world leading rider by wins
Baze,48, born in Vancouver, British Columbia, passed retired all-timer Laffit Pincay Jr.'s win total of 9,530 in November 30, 2006. Earlier this month, an Argentine-based rider, jockey Jorge Ricardo, briefly overcame Baze's total for the world lead in riding wins.
A Bay Meadows Race Course (San Mateo, California) regular, Baze has won riding titles there in 29 consecutive seasons. On February 23, Baze guided six mounts to winning performances to retake his all-time leading rider record.
Baze's official six on the 23rd at Bay Meadows included: Valid Star, eight-length winner in the second race; Ploesti Flight, a half length victor in the third race; Apollo Gal in the fifth race; Senator Matty in the sixth; Stage Fever, a 3 1/4-length winner in the seventh; and Handsome Lover in the eighth race. In the day's opening race, Baze finished third. He had no mount in the fourth contest.
Before becoming the premier jockey in all-time wins in thoroughbred racing, Baze copped a Special Eclipse Award in 1996. The special recognition award was created to honor Baze's incredible string of seven consecutive racing seasons with 400, or more winning rides. No other jockey in history has achieved more than two consecutive 400-win years.
In addition, Baze is the author of an all-time 20% winning percentage. The National Turf Writers Association created the Issac Murphy Award in 1995 to annually recognize the rider with the country's highest winning percentage. Baze is a yearly recipient of that award.
The only jockey at Bay Meadows close to Baze in winners this season is Joel Rosario, who trailed Baze by 13 victories before February 24. Baze had already zipped to 20 wins from 48 starters prior to his six-win record breaking day.
Coming from a familiar racing family of the Pacific northwest, Baze's achievements through 2003 earned him entry to the Washington Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame. In Walla Walla, Washington, at the age of 15, Baze began his winning ways in the saddle. In 1974, the following year, Baze triumphed at Yakima Meadows to record his official first win. He became leading jockey apprentice at the Longacres (Renton) race track. He raced there from 1974 to 1979, learning the trade well, and springing into a career that has become unstoppable.
For the next two and a half decades, Baze has been a seasonal top jockey.
In 1999, he was unable to reach the 400-win plateau only because of an injury interrupted season. Even then, he managed to post 373 first place finishes.
This year Baze has picked up rides on Bwana Bull, an early contender for starting honors at the Kentucky Derby on May 5. Bwana Bull's trainer is Jerry Hollendorfer, and the colt won the California Derby on January 28.
Past significant mounts on Baze's ledger include: Event of the Year, Clover Hunter, Traces of Gold, Devil's Orchid, Hawster, and Both Ends Burning. Northern California tracks have seen Baze level riding records. In addition to his winnig streaks at Bay Meadows, Baze raced to 24 consecutive riding titles at Golden Gates Field.
Nearing 50 years old, with riding thoroughbreds being his only profession, Baze looks to continue until he can no longer climb into the saddle. If he stays healthy, he will more than likely set a record in the Sport of Kings that will be extremely difficult to ever surpass.
