Jockey Michael Baze found dead at Churchill Downs

 

 

In this photo released by Benoit Photo, Georgie Boy and jockey Michael Baze in action to win the San Felipe Stakes horse race at Santa Anita Park, Saturday, March 15, 2008 in Arcadia Calif. (AP Photo/Benoit Photo)

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Michael Baze, a young jockey considered a rising star by many, was found dead in his car Tuesday afternoon on the back side of Churchill Downs. He was 24.
Baze’s body was inside his Cadillac Escalade in the stable area near gate 5, said Jim Wesley, Jefferson County deputy coroner.
No foul play is expected and Louisville Metro Police were handling the matter as a death investigation, said police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley.
Wesley said an autopsy will be conducted Wednesday morning, along with toxicology tests.
Baze was from a prominent family of jockeys, including the sport’s all-time win leader, Russell Baze, his second cousin.
A native of Renton, Wash., Michael Baze had 918 wins and career purse earnings of $32.4 million out of 6,968 mounts, according to Equibase, the official industry data keeper. His last mount was April 29 at Keeneland.
This year, Baze had 34 wins out of 238 starts and ranked 59th in the country out of 1,209 jockeys for purse earnings with nearly $1.2 million.
Baze was the leading rider at Arlington Park in suburban Chicago last summer, winning 104 of 495 races. He finished fourth in wins at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas this winter with 34 victories.
Baze rode Kentucky Derby runner-up Nehro to a second-place finish in the Louisiana Derby before Corey Nakatani took over for the Arkansas and Kentucky derbys.
He was considered a rising star on the Southern California circuit when at age 20 he became the youngest rider since Bill Shoemaker in 1950 to win a riding title at Hollywood Park. He also won the title at Del Mar’s prestigious meet in 2007.
Others in his family of prominent jockeys include his father, Mike, who rode primarily in the northwest; his first cousin, Tyler Baze, the 2000 Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s top apprentice; and nephew Gary Baze, all-time leading rider at the now defunct Longacres in Washington state.