Michael Baze
| Michael Carl Baze | |
|---|---|
Potrero Grande Handicap(2009) Sorrento Stakes (2009) | |
| Significant horses | |
|
Michael Carl Baze
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 a second cousin to U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee Russell Baze.[3]
Riding career
Baze obtained his jockey's license in 2003 and began riding in
Death
On May 10, 2011, Baze's body was found inside his Cadillac Escalade in the stable area of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.[4][5] 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.[6] It was also reported that Baze was scheduled to appear in court in Louisville on a cocaine possession charge.[7] (Baze never was a jockey in the Kentucky Derby, including the running three days before his death.)
On June 3, 2011, deputy Jefferson County coroner Jim Wesley reported that Michael Baze died of an accidental overdose. Toxicology results in the autopsy found cocaine and the prescription painkiller oxymorphone, also known as opana, in the rider's system. Levels of the drugs were not released. The official cause of death is listed as multiple substance intoxication, which the deputy coroner said is an overdose.[8]
Aftermath
Baze's mother, Teri Gibson, sued Baze's estranged wife Kelly on
Year-end charts
| Chart (2006–2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2006 | 83 |
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2007 | 17 |
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2008 | 40 |
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2009 | 74 |
| National Earnings List for Jockeys 2010 | 60 |
References
- ^ "A star is born, a father reborn in horse racing's Baze family" Press-Enterprise May 12, 2011.
- ^ "Michael Baze Found Dead at Churchill Downs" Cforce Media Archived 2011-05-14 at the Wayback Machine May 12, 2011.
- ^ Joe Drape (11 May 2011). "Jockey Found Dead, Promise Unfulfilled". New York Times. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
- ^ Drape, Joe (11 May 2011). "Jockey Michael Baze Is Found Dead at Churchill Downs". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ Jockey Michael Baze found dead at Churchill Downs[dead link]
- ^ "Test results awaited after death of jockey Michael Baze" USA Today, May 11, 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
- ^ McGee, Marty. "Michael Baze autopsy inconclusive; jockey found dead was facing cocaine charge" Daily Racing Form, May 15, 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
- ^ "Jockey Michael Baze death ruled accidental drug overdose" Gregory A. Hall, (Louisville) courier-journal.com, June 3, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-07.