Perry Ouzts

Kentucky's Turfway Park will honor legendary jockey Perry Ouzts Saturday, Dec. 6, with a dedication ceremony officially renaming the facility's jockey quarters the Perry Wayne Ouzts Jockeys' Quarters. Ouzts, 71, has won 7,531 races in his career, ranking fifth all-time among North American jockeys behind Russell Baze (12,842), Laffit Pincay Jr. (9,530), Bill Shoemaker (8,833) and Pat Day (8,803). He also ranks seventh in the world in career victories and has ridden in a record 53,689 races. Ouzts is the all-time leading rider at Turfway Park and has won thousands...

In honor of veteran rider Perry Ouzts, Turfway Park will officially rename its jockey quarters Perry Wayne Ouzts Jockeys' Quarters during a dedication ceremony Dec. 6. Ouzts, 71, has won 7,531 races in his career, ranking fifth all-time among North American jockeys and he is the all-time leading rider at Turfway Park. "Perry is a terrific human and an unbelievable professional athlete," Turfway Park general manager Chip Bach said. "He's the ultimate iron man, and it's only fitting that the place where our riders prepare every day now carries his...

71-year-old jockey Perry Ouzts--who just this summer surpassed Russell Baze for the most rides by a jockey in North American racing history--will be honored with the Mr. Fitz Award along with track executive Joe Harper, turf writer Steve Andersen and broadcaster Nick Luck during the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters' 65th Annual Awards Dinner on Wednesday, Oct. 29 in Del Mar, Calif., the NTWAB announced. The 2025 NTWAB Awards Dinner, which is the organization's only fundraiser, will be held at The Brigantine Del Mar, overlooking nearby Del Mar Racetrack. Harper...

Perry Ouzts has ridden in almost 54,000 races, and has won almost 7,500 of them. And at 70 years old, he's still going strong, making him one of the most enduring jockeys in history. Ouzts appears as the guest in episode three of jockey and veterinarian Dr. Ferrin Peterson's Boundless podcast, highlighting some of racing's stories of resilience and determination. "I started riding in '73," he tells Peterson. "Me and Pat Day, we both started in '73, and in '74, Chris McCarron and Russell Baze started riding. We all had...

Legendary figures from the sport of horse racing are to be featured in a new podcast hosted by Ferrin Peterson. 'The Boundless Podcast' will feature interviews with Hall of Fame jockeys Steve Cauthen, Chris McCarron, Pat Day, and Sandy Hawley. Available on all recognized platforms, including Apple Podcast, Spotify, and YouTube, the series will kick off Jan. 16 with an hour-long interview with Cauthen, whose outstanding career in the saddle included a historic Triple Crown success on Affirmed in 1978, when he was just 18 years old, before he became...

When Perry Ouzts wired the field aboard an 8-1 maiden filly named Caberneigh (Munnings) at Turfway Park last Wednesday night, the 69-year-old jockey established a milestone that garnered little notice in the racing world. The victory extended Ouzts's remarkable streak of having ridden at least one winner in a calendar year to 52 consecutive seasons. Think about the scope of that accomplishment for a moment. On Apr. 2, 1973, Ouzts, then 18, rode his first lifetime winner on just his second day as a licensed apprentice, guiding home an Ohio-bred...

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...

Jared Shoemaker, co-managing partner of Pocket Aces Racing, grew up in Lexington and fondly remembers going to Keeneland with his extended family from the time he could walk. It was one of his favorite things to do as a child. By the time he was in high school, he admits to spending a lot of afternoons at the track while supposedly in class. Not one to miss a good day of racing--no matter the reason--he scheduled all of his lectures at the University of Kentucky to be done by noon...