Hollywood Park notes: Tyler Baze can resume riding Jan. 1

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Jockey Tyler Baze, who has not ridden since June because of an alcohol-related suspension, can resume riding Jan. 1 at Santa Anita, stewards Scott Chaney, Kim Sawyer, and Tom Ward announced in a ruling Friday.

Baze attended a hearing with the stewards Dec. 7, seeking a reinstatement of his license. At the time, Baze told the stewards that he was undergoing rehabilitation for alcoholism but admitted that he had consumed alcohol as recently as Nov. 20.

In their one-page ruling, the stewards granted Baze the right to begin exercising horses Saturday. Baze, 31, was granted the license on the condition that he continue rehabilitation, participate in a sobriety-monitoring program, meet in person with California Horse Racing Board investigators each day he is named to ride horses, and inform racing board investigators if he has any interaction with law-enforcement officials.

Baze has not ridden since June 13, when he failed a sobriety test at Betfair Hollywood Park. In July, he was suspended for four months, retroactive to June 13, and ordered to undergo a 60-day in-house rehabilitation program and meet other terms, such as undergoing an evaluation with the Winners Foundation, which aids people in California horse racing with substance-abuse issues.

In late July, Baze was involved in a traffic accident in Santa Rosa, Calif., and was jailed for five days for driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license. Baze had a blood-alcohol level of 0.354 percent, more than four times the California legal limit of 0.08, according to California Highway Patrol records.

Baze underwent the 60-day in-house rehabilitation program following that arrest.

At the time of his suspension, Baze was tied for the lead in the jockeys’ standings at the spring-summer meeting at Hollywood Park.

Turf racing featured next week

The final days, and final race, in the history of Hollywood Park will play out on turf.

The track will be closed permanently Dec. 22 for future development, leaving no reason not to use the turf course to its full extent on the final three days of racing. Racing will be conducted Friday through Sunday next weekend leading up to the closing.

Racing secretary Dan Eidson has scheduled six turf races for a 10-race program Dec. 22, beginning and ending with $50,000 starter-allowance races on turf.

The day’s first race is scheduled as the $50,000 Valley Lass starter allowance for fillies and mares over a mile on turf, honoring the first horse to win at Hollywood Park when the track opened in 1938. The final race in track history will be a $50,000 starter allowance over 1 1/16 miles on turf called the Auld Lang Syne.

The starter-allowance races are restricted to horses who have started for a claiming price of $25,000 or less this year and have not subsequently won an allowance, claiming race, or starter race exceeding $40,000.

Eidson said he predicts large fields for the starter-allowance races since the purses for those races were enhanced to draw support.

Next Friday, there are four turf races scheduled for the eight-race program. The Saturday program has four turf races on a 10-race program. There are no turf stakes on the final weekend.

The featured races on the final two days are $200,000 stakes for 2-year-old California-breds over seven furlongs – the Soviet Problem for fillies Saturday and the King Glorious on Sunday.

Sprouts, winner of two sprint stakes in June and July, is among 12 nominees for the Soviet Problem. Aotearoa, winner of the Zuma Beach Stakes on turf at Santa Anita in October, and Better Bet, who won the Golden State Juvenile at Santa Anita on Nov. 1, are among 18 nominees for the King Glorious.

Aotearoa and Better Bet were beaten in their last starts. Aotearoa was second in the Generous Stakes on turf Nov. 30, while Better Bet was last of eight after a poor start in the Real Quiet Stakes on the synthetic main track Nov. 23.