Perry Ouzts, 69, passed jockey Dave Gall with win number 7,397 after the seventh race at Belterra Park on Tuesday to become racing's fifth all-time leading rider, John Engelhardt reported.
The win was especially rewarding since his mount was trained by his close friend and the track's leading trainer, Larry Smith.
“To have him set that milestone on one of my runners just makes it all that much better,” said Smith.
After the veteran jockey left the winner's circle, he went to the jockeys quarters to change his silks for the next race.
Like much of what he's done throughout a riding career that began in 1973, the occasion of jockey Perry Wayne Ouzts' 52,000th mount on July 20 got scant attention. It was just another day in the office for the 67-year-old, who recorded three wins that same afternoon at Belterra Park in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Ouzts now sits at 7,200 career victories, sixth on the all-time list and first among active riders.
No one has followed Ouzts' career closer than John Engelhardt, a writer, photographer, host of the Winning Ponies podcast and former publicist at River Downs, the Cincinnati track where Arkansas native Ouzts rode for so many years. (Belterra racetrack and casino was built where the old River Downs was located.)
Engelhardt joins publisher Ray Paulick (a 67-year-old who will not be doing any horseback riding) and news editor Chelsea Hackbarth (who got to know Ouzts when she was working at defunct Beulah Park) to share stories and answer some questions about the riding legend who was the subject of the Hennegan Brothers' Eclipse Award-winning documentary, “Ironman Perry Ouzts,”
Ray and Chelsea also review last weekend's Connaught Cup and the winner, Avie's Flatter, who earned Woodbine Star of the Week honors.
Watch this week's show, presented by Monmouth Park, below:
Daryl Parker, the first black racing official in North America, has passed away in his hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio. The father of three-time national leading rider DeShawn Parker, he served as a steward at all three of the Ohio Thoroughbred tracks over the course of his career.
“I'm sad to let everybody in the Twitter and racing world know that I lost my dad Daryl E Parker last night,” DeShawn Parker posted on Twitter Friday morning. “He fought a long battle with cancer that took his life.. he's going to be missed but never forgotten!! He was loved by everybody that knew him.”
Daryl Parker also served as an exercise rider, pony boy, and jockey's agent before his tenure as a steward began in 1986.
“If you look up the definition of 'class act' in the dictionary, Daryl's photo would be there,” wrote John Engelhardt. “He always went about his business in a professional manner and lived his life surrounded by a positive outlook. In DeShawn, you can see that the apple did not fall far from the tree.”
My idol my best friend and a great father!! He meant so much to my life and my career I can only hope to be as great as he was ..
I'm going to miss my dad so much but I know he's in a better place with no pain and living his life to the fullest up there hanging with friends and family talking up a storm!! Until we meet again… I LOVE YOU DADDY!!!❤️❤️🏇🏇
