Ouzts to Make Santa Anita Debut Saturday

Veteran jockey Perry Ouzts, who won his record 30th riding title this past Sunday at the former River Downs near Cincinnati, will realize a longtime goal when he gets a leg up to ride 3-year-old filly Wonderfully for Tom Proctor in Saturday’s Grade III Autumn Miss Stakes—as it will mark his first-ever mount at Santa Anita.

With a record 164 winners at what is now known as Belterra Park Gaming and Entertainment Center, Ouzts, 60, finished an astonishing 91 wins in front of his nearest competitor, 39-year-old Edgar Paucar.

While Irish-bred Wonderfully is listed at 20-1 on the morning line, she is a Group III winner in Ireland and has broken slowly in her last two starts, one at Del Mar and the most recent here, in the Unzip Me Stakes, run at 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course Sept. 27.

Ouzts, who broke his maiden in March, 1973, at Beulah Park in Ohio, is also at the threshold of a significant milestone, as he now has 6,383 wins—just one shy of legendary Hall of Famer Eddie Delahoussaye’s 6,384, which ranks 14th on racing’s all-time list of leading jockeys.

A joint native of Riverdale, Arkansas, along with his cousin, retired Hall of Fame jockey Earlie Fires (11th leading jockey all-time with 6,470 wins), Ouzts recently stated that his career objective is to now get win number 6,471. “That would give me bragging rights as the winningest jockey in Riverdale,” he quipped.

Here’s hoping Perry, Eddie and Earlie get together soon!!

Source: Santa Anita Park