Baze is the son of jockey Joe Baze, who taught Russell how to ride at an early age. The elder Baze was also a leading rider in the Bay Area and in Washington state.
Jockey Russell Baze captured his 400th victory of the year Thursday, marking the ninth time he has reached that milestone. To put the achievement in perspective, no other rider has won 400 races more than three times in a career. Baze received a Special Eclipse Award after the fourth time he reached 400, in 1995.In fact, if not for an injury he suffered late in 1999, Baze would have reached 400 ten years in a row. The Northern California-based jockey hit the magic mark in the third event at Golden Gate Fields aboard Golden Peace, a son of Gold Pack. In typical Baze fashion, it was one of three wins on the day for him. The 43-year-old Baze was elected to racing's Hall of Fame in 1999. He has led the nation in wins six times, and is in the hunt to do it again this year. He has won more than 7,000 races in his career, and is certainly a threat to challenge Laffit Pincay's mark for all-time winningest jockey if he continues riding throughout this decade.