He has won 36 riding titles at Bay Meadows racetrack in San Mateo, California and 27 titles at Golden Gate Fields in Albany, California. That afternoon, things were going Russell Bazes way. Ruling Planet: Russell Baze has a ruling planet of Sun and has a ruling planet of Sun and by astrological associations Saturday is ruled by Sun. program: six furlongs, a modest $10,000 purse, for fillies and mares who had not won twice and were at least 4 years old. and the rest. So is Americas winningest jockey also among its very best? As of 2022, Russell Baze's net worth is $100,000 - $1M. Baze easily reclaimed the strong relationships he had with the men who operated the best stables. Hey Old Man, you ready for your big day? Frank Alvarado, one of the other riders, said to him with a smile. And then comes the homestretch. While we don't know Russell Baze birth time, but we do know his mother gave birth to his on a Thursday. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Baze was the winner in one of the two races. In fact, his first win came aboard a horse named Oregon Warrior, who was trained by Russell's father, Joe Baze. 50,000, he was entered in six races. stones, a common affliction among chronically dehydrated jockeys. The list of top riders who have battled alcoholism and addiction is a long one, and the pressures of the job for those Baze and his wife Tami have three daughters, Trinity, Brandi, and Cassie, and one son, Gable. Baze tries to signal confidence when he takes the reins, and going into the starting gate Finish Rich in Nyc was calm, looking straight ahead, her feet as anything happening 100 yards away. "He took a spill on a Shetland one time when he was young," Joe says, "so I didn't think he was interested, I never bothered to teach him. So ends a Hall of Fame career that began nearly 42 years ago. A barn out back once sheltered two horses when the kids were young. Another horse, a mare named Grasp, a 5-2 shot, took over second place on the outside. Baze began his racing career in Walla Walla, Washington in 1974 and won his first race that fall at the Yakima racetrack. Russell is the club. This is as fun a job as I've ever heard of. Yet he remains plain old Russell, hardworking guy, family man, still a bit of the rural hick from Walla Walla, Wash. But appearances can be deceptive. Joe Baze had a thoroughbred training farm and Russ helped out, shoveling manure, breaking colts. I had the big one, Baze said, recalling the momentous opportunity, a chance to be the jockey among jockeys in the race of all races. Some members of his family didn't know he planned to retire. Baze, mistakenly thinking the horse still sound, urged it on. Very few great horses come out of Northern California, and that has meant Baze rarely has been in Americas biggest races. That would have suited him Rather than twisting off the top he poked a tiny hole in it with a screwdriver. Russell Baze is a retired horse racing jockey. But the No. The horse deserves 90 percent of the credit, Baze said. Joe and Beverley Baze, Russells parents, live in Montana. Avid horseplayers would recognize the name but otherwise Americas winningest jockey is virtually unknown. But he has ridden in the event only twice, both times on long shots. Secrets do not remain secret here for long. Born in Vancouver on Aug. 7, 1958, Russell Baze came from a racing family. Photo editing by Becky Lebowitz Hanger. Even the humblest of people are not without ego, and the Southern California racetracks Del Mar, Hollywood and Santa Anita were the highest step on the horse racing ladder. Whos the richest Horse Jockey in the world? There was Bunt, who went legit and rode the Blue Mountain Circuit in the Pacific Northwest until she was 43. That migration lasted several years, or at least that is how the story is variously retold. He was But the main bloodline to the progeny who would become jockeys those with the necessary genetic makeup for small sinewy bodies arrived from a union with another family, the Jameses. For three years he wrote a daily around-town column, and for one year, while still in sports, he wrote a weekly humorous commentary column. Baze broke his pelvis in a fall, and when he came back he was not getting mounts as good as the ones before. A couple of weeks ago, Russell was coming over for dinner after the races, Kaenel said. Horse jockey who was the record holder for the most racing wins in American history with 12,007. On the day he was to ride No. Join Facebook to connect with Russell Baze and others you may know. And few have maintained the velocity of this favorable momentum as steadily as Baze. Green to Go but had been bumped in favor of Baze and ended up aboard the long shot Panchos Vista. These are not just beautiful animals but conditioned athletes. It looks like an easy game today, he said after dismounting in the third. Though one of the states better varsity wrestlers, he quit his high school team to devote more time to horse racing. He thinks all thoroughbreds enjoy running but perhaps only a third really care about winning. What good is the big time if it makes you feel small? of liquid would come out, sparing him the temptation to take a gulp. He prefers to stay put in the large red-brick home he owns in Woodside, one of the Bay Areas We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous Equestrian. EARLY WYNN, who pitched his way into the Hall of Fame in the 1950s, used to say he would knock down his grandmother if she were crowding the plate. It was rather stunning. the rail, their eyeballs seesawing between the fast-moving horseflesh and a clutched stopwatch. PLEASANTON Kyle Kaenel went through the initial stage of his jockey career known as the son of well-known jockey Cowboy Jack Kaenel. But the horse the best he had ever ridden fractured a knee a week before the race. The two were friends, and Baze asked him how he did it. well-set. He said she was terrible-looking with just about every bad aspect of horse conformation, a long head and an overbite and floppy ears Those people are gods in the industry. Now Russell has no idea where his Delahoussaye recalled: I told him, Russell, I just got better horses. And he said, No man, youre doing something different than I am.. Im not much of a gambler but I figured I could afford to lose $20 a day, and my inexpert handicapping skills allowed me to do just that. races. Others lived in fear of their pounce, which Navarro called the Danger of Baze: If you win twice on a horse, theres always the risk that Ray will then come steal that mount for Russell. If two horses were likely to show early speed, he figured one canceled the other out, leaving a good come-from-behind entry as his solution for X. Finish Rich in Nyc, gamely competing, did not want to be outrun. The Arterburns, like the Bazes, Other articles related to "personal, personal life, life ": Baze wouldn't know how to phone in a performance if you dialed the number and paid for the call. Unpredictable things happen. harrumph when I used the term in-depth profile, as if that was some sort of fools errand. Come on five! Newly married, Baze grew close to his in-laws, and Jack Arterburn advised him that if he wanted to ride better horses and earn more money he ought to change agents, recommending an eager newcomer named Ray Harris. The horse settled into the starting gate He was an alcoholic. We were talking in an area above the jockeys room. He learned of the news Tuesday while golfing with their oldest son. Its loud like a rifle shot. to the region like the cable cars of the city and the vineyards of Napa. Im just a regular guy, a blue-collar rider, he said, nodding his head as if to insist this was true. We love you, but its time to retire.. Baze family. Gary Baze. Citation, a Triple Crown winner, circled Golden Gates oval in a new world record for the mile. There was the pelvis, and a fractured back, and more walk-away spills than he can remember. the darkness. Bunt took a fall in a race when she was pregnant with her fifth child. For some reason, me and Southern California werent a good fit, Baze said. Tyler Baze won the Eclipse Award as the nation's leading apprentice rider. Its even more fun to get through on the rail, because you are exploiting a flaw in somebody elses plan and you feel extra smart.. Russell Baze is a Leo and his 65th birthday is in, The 64-year-old American-Canadian was born in the Baby Boomers Generation and the Year of the Dog. He holds a faltering mount together with his strong arms, pushing and pulling in a commanding rhythm. Russell Avery Baze (born 7 August 1958 ) is a retired horse racing jockey. he is one of famous Equestrian with the age 62 years old group. She is 4-foot-10 and as a girl was a national champion in roller skate dancing. Russell Baze is part of the Baby boomers generation. The best gimmick at Golden Gate Fields is dollar day on Sundays when admission, hot dogs View the profiles of people named Russell Baze. Racing silks dangle from hangers. Russell Baze Net Worth Stats The horse is buried in the tracks infield. Its very simple. The race is constantly changing. She usually gets up around 5 a.m. and fries him a strip of bacon or a cocktail weenie, which he follows with a few swallows of fruit punch. Its a lot easier to stay thin when your livelihood depends on it, he said. Russell Baze's net worth Why, Ill bet my little girl over there on her pony can beat any horse youve Russell Avery Baze (born 7 August 1958 [1]) is a retired horse racing jockey. But when you come from behind, youre the one doing the target Baze could feel it in his hands. Based on Wikipedia, Forbes, IMDb & Various Online resources, famous Horse Jockey Russell Baze's net worth is $63 000 000 at the age of 61 old. Russell and I got along so well before we got married. He listened to talk radio and occasionally squeezed a tennis ball to loosen up the joints in his arthritic right hand. Its fun to wheel out and pass everyone. He was a straight-A student who never goofed off, except once. Some of the greatest jockeys of all time were riding down there: Shoemaker, Pincay, Chris McCarron, Gary Stevens, Eddie Delahoussaye, Patrick Valenzuela and others. But he finished out of the money in the fourth and lost by a head in the fifth. But I don't have to hear him to know he's there. Having a father who won a Triple Crown race may be big shoes to fill, but Kaenel may have found an even bigger shadow to try to get out of in the last year. Home is Woodside, Calif., where he lives with wife Tami, three daughters and a son. Baze, 55, is from a racing family. The family connections certainly have added some spice to the times the two end up riding in the same race. The fact that Baze won so often on lesser racetracks only seemed to deepen their respect. Menu. She had nice, high withers but her ribs and hips stuck out. The filly liked to run 15 or 20 lengths behind the pack but responded to his commands when it was time to catch up. On October 14, 1989, Baze was aboard Hawkster when that three-year-old colt set the Santa Anita Park track record for 12 miles on turf. This relative obscurity largely results from a career choice he made two decades ago, attempting, as so many people Racing was less gentlemanly then. Find a pitcher who can say he caught Rose napping, even for one pitch. Shes not the one I would have picked for the occasion, Horses that might have run at 4-1 dropped down to 2-1 Baze has been hurt dozens of times, incurring nine concussions, a dozen or so fractures and 24 contusions, according to medical records provided by the racetracks physician. At the top are places like Belmont in New York, Santa Anita near Los Angeles and Gulfstream near Miami. Paralysis, concussions and calcified limbs are among the hazards, as is death. In Southern California, he went to riding four, five or six a day and he was seldom on a favorite. Baze understood that. That afternoon, things were going Bazes way. He is an adrenaline addict, and horse racing satisfies the craving. She had won only once in 36 tries but appeared strong as she vied for the lead, pulling even at the He is the Pete Rose of ponies. be sure, Russell steered the animal five wide of the others on both turns. Or should he stay in Baze rides almost exclusively in Northern California, the minor leagues in the world of horse racing. The motivating financial arithmetic works this way: The winning owner collects 60 percent of the purse, with the next four finishers getting smaller slices. Its certainly a healthy legacy to follow, as Cowboy Jack became the youngest jockey ever to win a Triple Crown race when he took Alomas Ruler to the winners circle in the Preakness Stakes in 1982. "Fatigue will take an edge off any jockey," Hummel says. CelebsMoney has recently updated Russell Bazes net worth. The other is earnings: the accrued share of the purses won by the riders mounts. Also learn about how he is rich at the age of 49 years old? Tami got a little upset, but as long as Ray did his job the alcohol didnt bother me much, Russell said. sometimes hit a payoff of four or five figures. Russell Baze, the winningest jockey in North American thoroughbred history with the vast majority of those victories coming at Bay Area racetracks announced his retirement Monday. Almost all of the 248 tables in the Turf Club a dining room with white tablecloths and a grand view of the homestretch go unoccupied. In the beginning, they were an itinerant couple, traveling in a covered wagon that had the look of a horse-drawn mobile home. for thank-you notes came from the book Think and Grow Rich by the early self-help guru Napoleon Hill. Though he started in sports and is there now, Scott took a couple of side trips into the real world for The Chronicle. The Special, which honors various amazing riding achievements, has been awarded only 10 times in the last 24 years, to people with names like Shoemaker, Arcaro and Longden. Jockeys are easily replaced transient workers who frequently get blamed when a horse underperforms. on nearly year-round, Thursdays through Sundays. of your artillery like that?. While still a teenager, Baze rode in Seattle and San Francisco and even a winter racing season in Chicago, where he left his mouth uncovered while exercising a horse one icy morning. Beverley, who is 77, called him a real bookworm. Joe said he was well behaved: Russell probably done a lot of things that should Semoran finished 14th in 1996; Cause to Believe was 13th in 2005. Why give up a third Im not the greatest jockey, and Ill be the first one to tell you that, he said. But if Baze had had the opportunity to ride against his dear, sweet grandmother -- may she rest in peace -- he might have been the one scraping rail paint off his riding boots. A boxed-in rider impetuously tries to steer his mount through "There were so many people around him, I didn't want to bother him.". Hes now a part of the Northern California community and is enjoying his chance to take on his father-in-law every day. Weve got a great rivalry.. Baze, who turns 58 on Aug. 7, rode another warrior, Oregon Warrior, to his first victory at defunct Yakima Meadows in Washington on . The boys fashioned saddles out of twine and sat on hay bales, whipping the sides while pretending they were in a stretch run. How exclusive? When his jockey won a race, the agent would write a thank-you note to the horses trainer and arrive at the barn the next morning with a dozen doughnuts. drive to the track, taking a route that went past the San Francisco airport and over the Bay Bridge. I can usually If I win, I spend it. Is that it? he asked hopefully after a lull, eager to escape the fuss. Lingering injuries were nothing he wanted advertised. Bazes presence in a race greatly skewed the odds. at the bottom are just as unyielding. Its the choices you make, Baze said flatly. The 50s were also the beginning of the Space Race, Cold War and the Civil Rights Movement. Dealing with Ray Harris is like going to the dentist every day of your life, said one trainer, Steve Specht. Baze rides almost exclusively in Northern California, where he is a decidedly local racetrack luminary Russell the Muscle particular Baze and his wife, Tami, also have a son, Gable, 5, who talks about being a jockey. Although he had won every other stakes race at Golden Gate Fields, Russell had never won the track's most prestigious race: the San Francisco Breeders' Cup Mile. Though he tacitly agrees with Harriss manipulations, Baze who comports himself like a Boy Scout: helpful, friendly, courteous and kind is never deemed a villain in these matters. , money, salary, income, and assets. Winnings, if there were any, came with a reduced payoff. Among the field of plodders The jockeys hangout at Golden Gate is a two-story building at the end of the grandstand. ways a jockey does that: with his hands, his whip and his mouth. Movies. Baze, now 38, won an Eclipse Award as North America's top apprentice in 2000 and was a Southern California circuit regular until the storms, literal and figurative, at Santa Anita in 2019. I dont try to run it up. He recounted fetching At 55, Baze is near the outside edge of even a durable riders working life span. The young jockeys career was nonetheless off to a fine start, and he was an increasingly confident fellow with money in his pocket when he first got to know Tami Arterburn at Bay Meadows. He then walked Pearl, the family dog, and left home in his 2009 Jaguar XK for the 45-minute went out drinking or played golf on their days off I preferred to be at home with my family.. Baze and his wife Tami have three daughters, Trinity, Brandi, and Cassie, and one son, Gable. 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