Jockey Baze posted his 7,000th career victory in 2000
Jockey chalked up his 7,000th win by taking stakes race in Pleasanton
Editor’s note: This story was originally published on July 5, 2000. Baze went on to become the winningest jockey in North American history.
Russell Baze rode the appropriately named This Is The Moment to victory in the Pleasanton Stakes on Tuesday at the Alameda County Fair to become the sixth thoroughbred jockey to post 7,000 victories.
Baze won a stretch-long duel with Peteski’s Charm, ridden by Roberto Gonzalez, Northern California’s second-winningest rider with more than 3,000 wins, to take the 1 1/16-mile race by one-half length in 1:43.60.
This Is The Moment is trained by Jerry Hollendorfer; the victory put him within one of 3,000 for his career.
The fans, perhaps bolstered by hunch players, made This Is The Moment the heavy favorite. He returned $5, and Baze was warmly greeted as he returned to the winner’s circle and again as he walked along the track to the jockey’s room after special ceremonies to commemorate the milestone victory.
Hollendorfer was smiling as Baze came to the winner’s circle with This Is The Moment. Asked if he wanted to saddle Baze’s 7,000th winner, Hollendorfer said, “I did. I got 6,000 for him (with Clover Hunter at Golden Gate Fields in 1997). We kinda came together. We both have the same outlook. We try to win all the time.
That’s why we’re pretty good together.”
Victory No. 6,999 for Baze came four races earlier aboard the Hollendorfer-trained Flying Denouement.
Two races after his 7,000th victory, Baze tried to get Hollendorfer into the spotlight with victory No. 3,000 but could only finish third aboard Virtual Light.
“It will be nice to be on when he wins 3,000,” said Baze, 41. “Jerry’s really supported me.”
Though they don’t know for sure how many races they’ve won together, Hollendorfer estimates Baze has won more than 1,000 times for him.
“We have a good business relationship, but we’re friends, too,” Hollendorfer said. “We don’t pal around. He usually tends to business, then goes home to his family, and that’s what I do, too.
“He comes out and works a lot of horses for me, and we talk about a lot of things.
Baze also has the respect of his fellow riders.
“I rode eight years in New York and saw every good rider that came through there,” Dennis Carr said. “I’d put Russell up against any of them.
“From a riding standpoint, no one has his desire, but outside of the races, he’s just your everyday Joe.”
Baze should move past Angel Cordero Jr. (7,037 victories) before the summer ends. Talk of him catching Laffit Pincay Jr., is not out of the question, but Pincay keeps adding to the challenge. He’s closing in on 9,000 victories with no end in sight.
“I wish he’d retire and stop winning all those races,” Baze cracked. Epilogue: Pincay stopped in 2003, at age 57, with 9,530 victories, Baze passed him in 2006 and retired in 2016, at age 58, with 12,842 victories.