Michael Baze

Michael Carl Baze (April 14, 1987 – May 10, 2011) was an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey.

Family background

He grew up in a family with an extensive history in the sport of racing. His father was a jockey who rode primarily at tracks in the Pacific Northwest and his uncle Gary Baze is a member of the Washington Racing Hall of Fame. Baze was also a cousin to jockey Tyler Baze and to U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Russell Baze.

Riding career

Baze obtained his jockey's license in 2003 and began riding in California before heading to the east coast of the United States later that year where he met with success at Monmouth Park Racetrack in New Jersey. In 2006, he returned to a base in southern California and the following year was his breakout year when he was the leading rider at the Hollywood Park Racetrack spring/summer season and at the Del Mar Racetrack.

Death

On May 10, 2011, Baze's body was found inside his Cadillac Escalade in the stable area of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The next day it was reported that a preliminary autopsy found no natural cause of death and that toxicology test results would not be available for three weeks. It was also reported that Baze was scheduled to appear in court in Louisville on a cocaine possession charge. (Baze never was a jockey in the Kentucky Derby, including the running three days before his death.)