Michael Carl Baze (April 14, 1987 – May 10, 2011) was an American
Thoroughbred horse racing jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...
.
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
Gary Baze (born October 25, 1955 in Sunnyside, Washington) is an American Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. An inductee of the Washington State Racing Hall of Fame, his Hall of Fame profile says of him: "As much as anything, Baze is respected thr ...
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.
Riding career
Baze obtained his jockey's license in 2003 and began riding in
California before heading to the east coast of the United States later that year where he met with success at
Monmouth Park Racetrack in
New Jersey. In 2006, he returned to a base in southern California and the following year was his breakout year when he was the leading rider at the
Hollywood Park Racetrack spring/summer season and at the
Del Mar Racetrack.
Death
On May 10, 2011, Baze's body was found inside his Cadillac Escalade in the stable area of
Churchill Downs
Churchill Downs is a horse racing complex located on Central Avenue in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States, famed for hosting the annual Kentucky Derby. It officially opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was ...
in
Louisville, Kentucky. 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. It was also reported that Baze was scheduled to appear in court in Louisville on a cocaine possession charge. (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.
"Jockey Michael Baze death ruled accidental drug overdose"
Gregory A. Hall, (Louisville) ''courier-journal''.com, June 3, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
Aftermath
Baze's mother, Teri Gibson, sued Baze's estranged wife Kelly on Judge Judy for funeral expenses and travel expenses for her and her son. Judge Judith Sheindlin awarded Gibson $855 for cremation expenses but disagreed that Kelly Baze owed her for travel expenses. During the episode, it was also revealed that Baze had received $750,000 from her late husband's life insurance policy, while Gibson had received $250,000. The episode aired on May 23, 2012.
Year-end charts
References
External links
November 6, 2007, ESPN article on Michael Baze
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baze, Michael
1987 births
2011 deaths
American jockeys
Drug-related deaths in Kentucky
Sportspeople from Renton, Washington
Baze family
Sportspeople from King County, Washington