Ageless jockey Perry Ouzts officially became North America's fifth all-time winningest rider on Tuesday at Belterra Park, when he piloted Lanalikeschoochoos to victory in the afternoon's seventh race for trainer Larry Smith. It was the 7,397th victory of Ouzts' career, breaking a tie with retired jockey David Gall (7,396 career wins).
Ouzts, 69, began his riding career in 1973, the year Secretariat won the Triple Crown, scoring his first victory in March of that year at defunct Beulah Park near Columbus, Ohio. He won 11 riding titles at Beulah and 18 at River Downs, the Cincinnati track that's been replaced by Belterra.
The winningest rider in North American Thoroughbred racing history is Russell Baze (retired) at 12,842 wins. He is followed by Laffit Pincay, Jr. (9,530), William Shoemaker (8,833), and Pat Day (8,803).
Ouzts is the winningest active rider in North American racing, and is one of three among the 10 winningest riders to not be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The others are Gall (who rode at Fairmount Park in Illinois) and Pino (who rode primarily in the Mid-Atlantic).
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