(Edited NTRA and Blood-Horse report)

Jockey Russell Baze registered the 11,000th win of his career when he guided Separate Forest to victory in Saturday’s fourth race at Santa Rosa, Calif (Sonoma County Fair).

Baze, who turned 52 one week earlier, scored in the $29,250 maiden special weight event aboard Diamond A Racing’s homebred 3-year-old Forestry filly for Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella.

Baze, a Vancouver, B.C. native, beat his big rival, longtime South American champion rider Jorge Ricardo, to the 11,000 mark. Ricardo reached 10,000 wins nearly a month before Baze in January 2008. Baze won his 10,000 race aboard Two Step Cat at Golden Gate Fields on Feb. 1, 2008.

But Ricardo, who was treated for lymphoma and also was out of action because of an injury, missed 219 days in 2009 and Baze passed him to regain the lead in their personal duel in May of that year. Currently competing at San Isidro racetrack in Buenos Aires, Ricardo’s career total stands at 10,867 through Aug. 13. He leads Baze in victories this year, 278-226.

Elected to the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 1999, Baze has won 11 national riding titles for most victories. He is in a battle with Ramon Dominguez for the riding title this year. In spite of winning with 29 percent of his mounts, Baze led Dominguez by only one win through Aug. 13. Baze had 768 mounts compared to Dominguez’s 897.

Baze’s riding titles came in 2009 (with 415 wins), 2008 (403), 2007 (399), 2005 (375), 2002 (431), 2000 (412), 1996 (415), 1995 (448), 1994 (415), 1993 (408), and 1992 (435).

He was named the George Woolf Memorial Award winner by his peers in 2002. Santa Anita’s Woolf Award honors riders whose careers and personal character reflect positively on themselves and the sport of Thoroughbred racing.

Baze always will be associated with 2005 Eclipse sprint champion Lost in the Fog, whose life was cut short by cancer in September 2006. Baze rode Lost in the Fog  to victories in the King’s Bishop, Riva Ridge, Swale and Carry Back stakes to name just a few.

Lost in the Fog won 11 out of 14 lifetime races and was owned by the late Harry Aleo. Fog was unbeaten going into the 2005 Breeders’ Cup Sprint but finished an uncharacteristic seventh in that race. It was later discovered that the Lost Soldier colt was suffering from massive tumors.

Baze is the son of Joe Baze, who won riding championships at Bay Meadows, Golden Gate Fields and Longacres.

He rode his first winner on Oct. 28, 1974, at Yakima Meadows aboard Oregon Warrior, who was trained by his father.