Hollywood Park: Baze seeks reinstatement again

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Jockey Tyler Baze, who has not ridden since June after failing a Breathalyzer test, is scheduled to meet with Hollywood Park stewards on Dec. 7 in an attempt to resume riding.

Baze was denied reinstatement by stewards Scott Chaney, Kim Sawyer, and Tom Ward after a hearing at Santa Anita in October. The stewards ruled that Baze had not complied with the terms of a 120-day suspension from the failed Breathalyzer test. They specifically cited that Baze had not undergone evaluation with the Winner’s Foundation after attending a 60-day residency rehabilitation program during the late summer.

The Winner’s Foundation works with people in Southern California racing with substance-abuse issues. Baze is believed to have undergone such counseling with the Winner’s Foundation in recent weeks. Baze was not available for comment.

In July, Baze was suspended, retroactive to the June failed Breathalyzer test. The suspension was the second alcohol-related offense for Baze since the summer of 2011. At the time of his suspension earlier this year, Baze was in the midst of an excellent season, tied for the lead in the jockey standings at the spring-summer meeting at Hollywood Park. Baze is best known for winning the Eclipse Award as the nation’s outstanding apprentice jockey of 2000.