Belterra: Ouzts takes sole possession of 11th place on all-time list
After three straight days of drawing blanks, Perry Ouzts wasted no more time in his quest to gain sole possession of 11th place on the all-time list of winningest jockeys in North America.
Ouzts, who will turn 61 next month, scored with his first mount Saturday in the first race at Belterra Park in Cincinnati. He brought home Cobra’s Crown by 1 1/2 lengths to earn his 6,471st victory during his 42-year career.
Ouzts moved past his cousin, the retired Hall of Fame rider Earlie Fires.
During his rise in the standings, Ouzts kept repeating that his ultimate goal was, “to be the leading rider in Riverdale, Arkansas,” a small town of 1,381, where he and Fires grew up together. It is located adjacent to the Arkansas River and is a neighborhood of Little Rock.
Ouzts now has set a new goal. “I’m not burned out. I get the same thrill every time I win a race – it is 7,000 or bust now.”