Russell Baze to receive Gomez award
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Jockey Russell Baze, who recorded 12,842 career wins, including 270 stakes, has been named the 2023 recipient of the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award.
The award is given to the person, Canadian-born, Canadian-raised, or regular rider in the country for more than five years, who has made significant contributions to Thoroughbred racing.
It is named in memory of one of the sport’s most successful and revered performers. The Cuban-born Gomez died of complications after a three-horse accident in the 1980 Canadian Oaks.
“It’s always nice to be recognized by people in the industry that you’re involved in,” Baze said. “This is the kind of award that everybody should be very honored to receive.”
Baze, who retired in 2016, enjoyed phenomenal success over a career that began at the age of 16. A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, he was a prominent name on the North American racing circuit for 42 years, finishing as the all-time leader for wins by a jockey.
Baze led all North American jockeys in wins a remarkable 13 times.
In 1994, he was presented with a Special Eclipse Award for having won 400 or more races in four consecutive years. Altogether, Baze won 400 or more races 13 different times, headlined by a career-high of 448 in 1995.
In 1999, he was inducted into the U.S. Racing Hall of Fame. In 2002, Baze earned the George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award for his contributions to the sport, both on and off the track, as voted on by his peers.
Ten years later, he became a member of the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
“All I wanted to do was go out there and win as many races as I could and do the best job I could, not only for the owners and trainers, but also the fans,” Baze said.
The Avelino Gomez Memorial Award ceremony will take place this Sunday on Woodbine Oaks Day.
Past recipients included Ron Turcotte, Johnny Longden, Sandy Hawley, Don MacBeth, Chris Rogers, Jeff Fell, Robin Platts, Mickey Walls, Patrick Husbands, and Eurico Da Silva.
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