Former Renton Longacres Jockey becomes winningest ever!

Jockey Russel Baze, who raced many years at Longacres here in Renton, has just become horse racing’s winningest jockey ever!

He still has strong ties to our city, as his brother Dr. Randy Baze is a very likable and successful chiropractor in our city. Dr. Baze is just about to open an all-new office next to the East Valley 13 movie theater. Dr. Baze began his study of chiropracty after first seeing how effective it was on race horses.

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Saturday, December 2, 2006 – Page updated at 12:00 AM

Baze breaks jockey record

Jockey Russell Baze, far right, rides Butterfly Belle in the fourth race at Bay Meadows in San Mateo, Calif., Friday, Dec. 1, 2006. Baze finished first. It was Baze’s 9,531st victory to eclipse Laffit Pincay Jr.’s career record to become thoroughbred racing’s winningest jockey.

Russell Baze

SAN MATEO, Calif. .. Russell Baze fell off a horse when he was a teenager, and his father thought he didn’t have a future riding the animals.

Good thing Baze didn’t listen to dad.

Baze, who grew up in Granger, Wash., and began his career in the state, became Thoroughbred racing’s winningest jockey Friday when he broke Laffit Pincay Jr.’s record with a victory aboard Butterfly Belle at Bay Meadows, with his father, Joe, looking on.

Win No. 9,531 came in the fourth race, when the 48-year-old Baze found a hole along the rail and drove through it. He whipped the filly right-handed down the stretch to win on the Longden turf course, named for Johnny Longden, who once held the record Baze broke.

“When I got started galloping horses, it was so thrilling and challenging,” said Baze, who had ridden three Longacres Mile winners and is in the Washington and national racing Halls of Fame. “From the start, I knew this is what I wanted to do. I was just praying I wouldn’t outgrow the profession.”

He didn’t.

Baze started riding in Yakima and raced for five seasons at Longacres in Renton.

Victory No. 1 came at Yakima Meadows on Oct. 28, 1974. The 16-year-old apprentice came from just off the pace aboard Oregon Warrior to win a 6-furlong race for $1,250 claimers. The purse was $700. The winner was trained by his father.

His ties to the Northwest go back to the day he was born .. Aug. 7, 1958 in Vancouver, B.C. Baze was born in Canada because his dad was riding at Exhibition Park (now Hastings Park). Joe Baze was an outstanding jockey during his riding career, winning many races at Longacres and in the Bay Area.

After winning two races from 20 mounts in 1974, Russell Baze made his way to Longacres for the 1975 season. His first win at Longacres came on May 31, 1975 aboard G. G. Hill (trained by his father) and he finished the season with 72 wins in 444 starts (16 percent) good enough for second place in the jockey standings.

Baze rode regularly at Longacres the next four years.

Baze moved to the Northern California tracks in 1980, and has dominated there since, except for a time in the late 1980s when he tried the Southern California circuit.

Baze has won at least 100 races each of the past 28 years, and has led the nation in yearly wins eight times. His best total was 448 in 1995.

Baze has won eight races (in 40 mounts) at Emerald Downs in Auburn, including two Longacres Miles: with Sky Jack in 2003 and on a Adreamisborn in 2004.

Baze, a 5-foot-4, 115-pounder, is nicknamed Russell the Muscle, and he needed his muscle aboard Butterfly Belle, who was crowded and forced to check out of the starting gate. She went two-wide into the stretch and was stuck behind a wall of horses.

“I was looking for a way out,” Baze said. “When [the hole] started developing, I immediately headed for it. I was just glad it stayed open until I could get through it.”

The win came on a 4-year-old Washington-bred filly whose only other win came at Emerald Downs in 2005. Crossing the finish line, Baze said he felt “elation that I had won the race and become the winningest rider, and relief that now it’s over. Everybody can go home.”

Baze doffed his riding helmet to the cheering crowd.

“I’m not going to do much celebrating,” he said. “I’m going to do a lot of relaxing.”

Pincay had owned the mark since Dec. 10, 1999, when he took it from Bill Shoemaker. Pincay, 59, was on hand for his fifth day of watching Baze, who had won one race each of the previous two days.

Shoemaker had been the king for 29 years after surpassing Longden.

“Who would’ve thought 32 years ago a skinny little kid with no experience would be standing here today,” Baze told the sparse crowd as he stood in the winner’s circle. “I could hardly believe this would happen.”

Baze’s mounts were heavily bet down from their morning-line odds by fans seeking souvenir $2 win tickets. Butterfly Belle went from 6-1 to the 9-5 favorite.

Pincay said he bet on every horse except Baze’s in the historic race.

“I was trying to jinx them,” he said.

Baze only had moderate success when he rode in Southern California and he has ridden in just two Kentucky Derbies .. 10 years apart. He is 0 for 3 in the Breeders’ Cup.

“I gladly would’ve been a big fish in a big pond,” he said about his brief stint in the big time. “I’m still available if someone wants to give me more chances.”

Times handicapper Gary Dougherty contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2006 The Seattle Times Company