Russell Baze holds the record for the most race wins in North American horse racing history, and is a member of the United States Racing Hall of Fame and the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame.
10 Facts About Russell Baze
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Russell Baze began his racing career in Walla Walla, Washington in 1974 and won his first race that fall at the Yakima racetrack.
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Russell Baze went on to lead United States thoroughbred horse racing in victories ten times.
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Russell Baze has won 36 riding titles at Bay Meadows racetrack in San Mateo, California and 27 titles at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, California.
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In 1999, Russell Baze was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame and in 2002, he was voted the recipient of the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award by his peers.
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Since the inauguration of the Isaac Murphy Award in 1995, presented annually by the National Turf Writers Association to the jockey with the highest winning percentage in North America, Russell Baze has won it 13 of 14 years, coming in second in 2004.
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On October 14,1989, Russell Baze was aboard Hawkster when that three-year-old colt set the Santa Anita Park track record for 1.
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Russell Baze gained a lot more fame in the fourth race at Bay Meadows on December 1,2006, by setting the world's all-time record for most career victories, passing jockey Laffit Pincay Jr.
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On February 1,2008, at Golden Gate Fields, Russell Baze rode Two Step Cat to a photo finish victory in the third race to become the first North American rider to win 10,000 races.
10.
On July 7,2013, in Pleasanton, California, riding Handful of Pearls, Russell Baze won the final race on the last day of the Alameda County Fair, making it his 12,000th win and his 4th win of the day.