Michael Carl Baze (April 14, 1987 – May 10, 2011) was an American

Thoroughbred horse racing Thoroughbred racing is a sport and Horse industry, industry involving the Horse racing, racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport – flat racing and jump racing, the latter know ...

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), 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 ...

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 The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

and his uncle

Gary Baze Gary Baze (born October 25, 1955, in Sunnyside, Washington) is an American Thoroughbred horse race, Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. An inductee of the Washington Racing Hall of Fame, Washington State Racing Hall of Fame, his Hall of Fame profile ...

is a member of the Washington Racing Hall of Fame. Baze was also a cousin to jockey

Tyler Baze Tyler Baze (born October 19, 1982) is an American Champion jockey from Seattle, Washington. He was born into a racing family, since both of his parents were jockeys, as is his uncle, Gary Baze. His second cousin is U.S. Racing Hall of Fame jocke ...

and a second cousin to U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee

Russell Baze Russell Avery Baze (born 7 August 1958 ) is a retired Canadian-American Thoroughbred horse race, horse racing jockey. He holds the record for the most race wins in North American horse racing history, and is a member of the National Museum of Ra ...

Riding career

Baze obtained his jockey's license in 2003 and began riding in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

before heading to the east coast of the United States later that year where he met with success at

Monmouth Park Racetrack Monmouth Park Racetrack is an American race track for thoroughbred horse racing in Oceanport, New Jersey, United States. It is owned by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and is operated under a five-year lease as a partnership with ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. 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 Hollywood Park was a thoroughbred horse racing, race course located in Inglewood, California, about 3 miles (5 km) from Los Angeles International Airport and adjacent to The Forum (Inglewood, California), the Forum indoor arena. In 1994, t ...

spring/summer season and at the

Del Mar Racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is an event venue in Del Mar, California. It hosts the annual San Diego County Fair. The venue sits on a property along the Pacific Ocean coastline. It includes the Del Mar Racetrack, built in 1936 by the Del Mar Thoroug ...

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 in south Louisville, Kentucky, United States that hosts the annual Kentucky Derby. It opened in 1875 and was named for Samuel Churchill, whose family was prominent in Kentucky for many years. The first ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

. 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 ''Judge Judy'' is an American arbitration-based reality court show presided over by former Manhattan Family Court Judge Judith Sheindlin. The show featured Sheindlin as she adjudicated real-life small-claims disputes within a simulated court ...

'' for funeral expenses and travel expenses for her and her son. Judge

Judith Sheindlin Judith Susan Sheindlin ( Blum; born October 21, 1942), also known as Judge Judy, is an American attorney, jurist, court-show arbitrator, media personality, television producer, and former prosecutor and Manhattan family court judge. For 25 seas ...

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