Jockey Tyler Baze, America’s Eclipse Award winning apprentice
rider in the year 2000, returned to action for the first time in over a year on
Friday at Santa Anita and won with his second mount, longshot Warren’s
Sugarbuzz, who paid $112.60 to win in race six.
Suspended indefinitely by Del Mar’s Board of Stewards
in August 2011 for refusing to submit to a random Breathalyzer test, Baze, who
turns 30 on Oct. 19, was recently reinstated by Los Alamitos stewards.
“I was born to do this. This is all I know how to
do,” said Baze in the winner’s circle. “Just the feeling of
having horse under me and being able to get back to my dream is…I’m
taking it day by day. I’m pretty fit, I’ve been working on a ranch
owned by (horse owner) Mike Conboy out in Banning and I’ve been working
with babies, which is what I love to do.”
Speaking of babies, Warren’s
Sugarbuzz is a 2-year-old California-bred filly who is owned by her breeder,
Benjamin Warren.
“We’re happy to have Tyler
back,” said Warren.
“He’s always won for us. We rode Tyler a lot and he won a lot. I’d say
he’s won at least 20 races for us.”
Warren’s Sugarbuzz,
who was 20-1 on the morning line, came off a Cal-Bred maiden $32,000 win on
Sept. 13 at Fairplex
Park and was thus facing
winners for the first time on Friday. She bested a field of nine, winning by
three-quarters of a length and paid $35.40 to place and $16.80 to show.
The second cousin of North America’s all time leading
winning jockey Russell Baze and the nephew of longtime reinsman Gary Baze,
Tyler Baze counts among his top achievements leading rider titles at Hollywood
Park (2004) and Santa Anita (fall 2007).
Reunited with his most recent agent, Craig O’Bryan,
Baze is named to ride four horses on Saturday, two on Sunday and six on
Columbus Day, Monday.