Ouzts is 1 of 4 award winners being honored by racing media
Perry Ouzts, who this summer passed Russell Baze for the most rides in North America Thoroughbred racing history, will be honored during the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters’ 65th awards dinner Oct. 29 in Del Mar, Calif.
The 71-year-old ironman jockey will be honored with track executive Joe Harper, turf writer Steve Andersen and broadcaster Nick Luck will receive awards.
The dinner is the NTWAB’s only fundraiser, and a portion of the proceeds pay for contributions to Thoroughbred industry charities and internships for prospective racing journalists. It will be held at The Brigantine in Del Mar, Calif., the week of the Breeders’ Cup.
In honoring Ouzts with the Mr. Fitz award for typifying the spirit of racing, the NTWAB recognized the achievements and astounding longevity of the veteran rider. He began his career in April 1973, just weeks before Secretariat won that year's Triple Crown. Besides holding the mounts record, Ouzts is one of the oldest winning riders in American racing history.
Through Monday, Ouzts had ridden in a record-extending 53,621 races, winning 7,522 times, the fifth-most by a North America jockey behind Hall of Famers Baze with 12,842, Laffit Pincay Jr. with 9,530, Bill Shoemaker with 8,833 and Pat Day with 8,803. According to Pagina de Turf, Ouzts is seventh in career wins worldwide.
Harper will get the Joe Palmer award for meritorious service to racing. He has been a track executive at Del Mar since 1978, guiding the Southern California track through a period of significant growth. Harper has overseen Del Mar’s emergence as one of the nation’s top racetracks for daily average handle and attendance while preserving its unique history.
A native Californian, Harper is a board member for numerous organizations, including as chairperson of Winners Foundation, a drug and alcohol counseling center for the California racing industry.
Andersen is the recipient of the Walter Haight award for career excellence in turf writing. A longtime news correspondent who joined Daily Racing Form in 1994, Andersen is entrusted with writing race previews, recaps, notes and features covering West Coast racing.
Based in Southern California, Andersen’s passion for the sport extends beyond flat racing to jump racing, illustrated by his regular forays to the United Kingdom to attend race meetings such as those at Aintree and Cheltenham. He also reports on quarter-horse racing at Los Alamitos, a short drive from his Seal Beach, Calif., residence.
Luck, one of international racing’s most respected and recognizable broadcasters, is the recipient of the Jim McKay award for broadcast excellence. He rose to prominence through his work with Channel 4 Racing and Racing TV in his native United Kingdom. His has been named racing broadcaster of the year nine times by the Horserace Writers & Photographers Association in Great Britain. Twice it honored him as reporter of the year.
In the U.S., Luck has been a vital presence on television for nearly two decades, widely recognized for his analysis and interviewing skills on display during NBC’s broadcasts of the Breeders’ Cup and Triple Crown.
The winners of two Breeders’ Cup writing awards plus a photography and videography award also will be announced at the dinner.
The NTWAB is made up of racing media and racetrack publicists.