Baze wins 10,000th race in a photo finish
Jockey earns milestone victory aboard Two Step Cat at Golden Gate Fields
 Eric Risberg / AP Hall of Fame jockey Russell Baze atop Two Step Cat after winning his 10,000th race at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, Calif. |
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ALBANY, Calif. - It’s not every day a jockey wins his 10,000th race. Yet Friday epitomized a typical day at the racetrack for Russell Baze.
The Hall of Famer extended his dominance as North America’s winningest thoroughbred jockey, surviving a photo finish in a three-horse duel to the wire for his 10,000th victory at Golden Gate Fields.
In the same riding style he used to pass Laffit Pincay Jr. and become North America’s career leader in December 2006, Baze drove Two Step Cat along the rail to a nose victory in the mile race.
“Wow! I got a seriously good nod there,” he said, having replaced his riding helmet with a black baseball cap with ’10,000’ in white numbers. “It’s a very significant number.”
Baze surpassed Pincay Jr.’s record of 9,530 at Bay Meadows.
Now, he’s padding his numbers.
Baze hit double-digits in winners with his 44,006th career starter. Later, he won the sixth aboard Royal Wager and the seventh on Hawaiian Afleet, giving him 10,002. His mounts have earned nearly $153 million during his 34-year career.
“Can you believe they actually pay me to do this?” he told fans who pushed posters and slips of paper at him for autographs.
As Baze walked by, a fan holding his young daughter told her, “That’s the best jockey right there.”
Baze was third most of the way before moving Two Step Cat between horses in the stretch to take up position along the rail. His mount battled Brite Oakie and Unusual Men to a blanket finish.
A mere nose separated the trio, with the official results photo showing Two Step Cat’s flared nostril barely in front.
The race was for cheap claiming horses, ones who aren’t good enough to run in big-money stakes races. Baze has made a career of coaxing claimers across the finish line first.
“He tries so hard,” winning trainer Armando Lage said. “He’ll ride the $4,000 claimer as good as he’ll ride the stakes horse. He just wants to win races.”
After a few tense minutes, Two Step Cat’s number flashed on the tote board in the ’1’ position. Unusual Men was another nose back in third. Fans gathered around the winner’s circle cheered.
“When I passed Laffit it was kind of a spectacular race, weaving through the pack and getting through on the inside,” Baze said. “This one was a little more exciting.”
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Lage was sweating out the results, especially since he also saddled Unusual Men.
“I thought the horse in the middle (Brite Oakie) won the race, and I was screaming bloody murder because I had two horses in the race,” Lage said. “My horses (are) in the photo finish and I’m going to get beat? That’s unbelievable.”
Instead, Lage and Baze landed in the winner’s circle.
“I got to ride tomorrow, so there’s not going to be a whole lot of celebrating,” Baze said.
He finished second in the day’s first race, getting passed in the final strides. He was third on the beaten favorite in the second, losing to jockey and son-in-law Kyle Kaenel.
Baze rode 399 winners last year to lead the nation for the ninth time. His win percentage of 32.9 was the best of his career.
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