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VICKY VOTED IN She is tenacious, talented and true. Vicky Baze, whose riding accomplishments have established her as third all-time in the nation for number of wins by a female rider, landed a unique trifecta in 2011. February marked her 2,000th riding success. May, she captured a victory in the inaugural Female Jockey Challenge in Pimlico, Md, held the day of the Black Eyed Susan. August, she accepted her home state’s richest honor of induction into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame. On hand at the induction ceremony was husband Gary Baze, himself one of the inductees in 2004, her proud parents, Winnie and George, and a host of genteel relatives some of whom had flown in from as far east as Arkansas to share the special moment. Sporting a sharp haircut and dressed in black, Vicky, inadvertently dwarfed by host Joe Withee, playfully bobbed left and right as she came up to accept her award to the night’s biggest eruption of applause. Not one to seek center stage, on this occasion, Vicky stood tall with grace and gratitude. Voted on by officials and media across the state, the two-time champion jockey at Longacres (1986, 1988) and holder of the most wins at that track, beat out a select group of nominees for the award that included Gallyn Mitchell, the state’s leading rider in number of wins and all-time stakes leading rider at Emerald Downs. Vicky Aragon, burst onto the scene in 1985 and never looked back. Any public misconceptions about the competitiveness of women riders were quickly put to rest as her talent took her to the top. In fact, she began a tradition of the Northwest being known for launching the careers of many successful riders that more recently includes Jennifer Whitaker and Debbie Hoonan-Trujillo. When Emerald opened its doors in 1996, Vicky was right there, doing her part to return racing magic back to the betting fans who had hungered four years for a city track. “After riding the Eastern Washington meet at Yakima where I was leading rider in the summer of 1993, Pedro Alvarado was second, I took 1994 off and started back in 1995 which followed through into riding the spring/summer opening season at Emerald in 1996. There was a brief period of time when I got the lead in the jockey standings in the spring of 1998 but when I went down with the filly called Cocktails Anyone, I had to take time off with a neck sprain. The filly was OK. She clipped heels when another rider came over and shut us off approaching the finish line.” The spill came hot on the heels of one of her finest stakes wins at Emerald that season in the 1-mile King County Handicap. The Bud Klokstad trained Ropersandwranglers came into the feature race boasting a record five stakes win streak and was well favored at 4/5 over Vicky’s mount, the lesser known Shay, at 11/2. Having had the good fortune to hear her strategizing with me in the parking lot on the eve of the big race, I remember how convicted Vicky felt about her chances. As I announced Shay crossing the finish line that next day, a neck to the good of the Bud Klokstad star, a part of me welled with excitement in full knowledge that her vision had been realized. Shay helped connect me with Vicky and the two of us have remained close ever since. The following spring, Vicky tied the knot with her sweetheart Gary Baze. Christian scripture, Matthew 18: 20 states “For where two or three have gathered together in my name, there I am with them” and in 1999, their union seemed to further strengthen their spiritual journey. Each has been in and out of the saddle at various stretches of time and made the necessary adjustments to cover for one another. “We both have mutual respect for one another personally and professionally, coupled with a healthy sense of humor.” In the early years of Emerald, Gary worked as the Jockeys’ Guild manager for the West Coast racetracks but missed being a jockey and came back to race-riding. Vicky rode regularly at Emerald through 2001 when old neck injuries forced her to the sidelines. “Gary talked me into being his agent in 2002 and 2003. We had a pretty good run working together. He won about 12 stakes in 2003. Unfortunately in mid-2002 he went down behind a horse that broke down and fractured his ankle, so had to sit out the rest of that meet. He's so tough, the gate crew remarked how his ankle was turned so bad in the opposite direction, and all Gary did was hop over to the ambulance and never uttered a sound. He's my hero.” Vicky never had designs to be a jockey agent but was willing to do it for her husband, Gary. The move forced her to break new ground and, as in all her ventures, she remained true to her word. Vicky stayed loyal to trainers who had booked Gary even when the lure of a better prospective mount raised its tempting head. Vicky learned quickly not to second-guess herself and made peace with the part of her that felt conflicted by the hard sell. Vicky continued to work behind the scenes wearing different caps. In 2007 and 2008, she took up the position as the Horsemen’s Liaison Officer at Emerald Downs. She loved working the front side with Racing Secretary Brett Anderson but when it comes to a racetrack, nothing compares to her desire to be back riding. “I spent a couple of summer racing seasons working in the racing office at Emerald Downs and those earlier ones as a jock’s agent for my husband Gary. Both made me feel like a fish out of water. That made me realize how much I miss and appreciate riding!” No surprise that in spite of neck specialist recommendations to quit the saddle, Vicky has twice come out of retirement. “Time off has really been the result of my healing up from injuries from racing and spills I’ve taken while riding. You could say a person just has to respect their body and step away for a while and heal up.” In the process, Vicky has learned about recovery and staying healthy. Chat with her about your own body and you may just discover the perfect stretch to ease those aches and pains, a spin cycle to tighten up those defiant abdominals or carrot juice to boost your immune system. Her free advice comes from years of conscious decisions as an athlete and competitor. Staying fresh is also a mindset and sometimes less is more. In 2006, Vicky and Gary sold their home in Kent where she had been a resident since 1985 and opted for a simpler option, a motor home that they eventually took to the road with. Their motor home stopped in Winnipeg, Canada, at Assiniboia Downs, where Gary rode. “We went to Assiniboia Downs in the spring of 2009. Gary was on track to be leading rider but was sidelined by a knee injury when his filly flipped in the starting gate. I didn’t start riding there until the the end of July of 2009 because Assiniboia was already filled up with their jockey roster quota, so when Gary had to take off, I was able to fill in. “With only a week in between race meets, we drove back to Phoenix and I rode their winter meet. I rode 73 winners and was fifth in the standings with the race season at Turf Paradise running until May 2. Again there was only a week in between meets, so we both drove back up to Canada in time for the start of Assiniboia Downs on May 11, 2010. As you can see we both have had a busy time of it, and we both had a great summer there in 2010 with Gary and I riding together.” Vicky thrived on the freedom of the move interstate but was equally happy to have some of her creature comforts back, finding her and Gary a perfect condo retreat in Glendale, Ariz. Not only does the Southwest region enable the couple to stay in close contact with their families but the change of scenery has been a boon professionally. Assisted by trainers Dennis Ward, Don Roberson and Valorie Lund, Turf Paradise has given Vicky a new lease of life, parlaying her success there into her own riding title in the summer of 2010 at Assinaboia Downs, a fact this humble achiever fails to mention. “We stayed home this summer and took a much needed break. We enjoyed getting the chance to spend time with family here in Phoenix and in San Diego.” Not everyone has the ability to reinvent themselves like Vicky or has managed to extend their career as comfortably as she has. Born in Brunswick, Ga., in 1964 to a Scottish mother and a US naval officer, the couple first met when George was stationed on the USS Proteus in the Holy Loch, Scotland. His first deployment was to Vietnam in the late ’60s then in 1972 to Athens, Greece. “They lived there for three years and then the Navy transferred my dad to Naples, Italy, where we lived for three years and then Sardinia, Italy, for three years.” The family headed back to US waters in 1981, upon her father’s retirement from the Navy, settling in Southern California. Vicky learned the ropes of racing in the back-stretches of Hollywood Park, Santa Anita and Del Mar, galloping horses. She remained in the region four years before heading up to Washington State to begin her apprenticeship at Longacres. “The Pacific Northwest has been my home for almost 25 years and is near and dear to my heart. By growing up in a military family, I became independent through all the travelling we did. I learned at a pretty young age how to adapt to moving around, leaving behind places and people I loved. And I look forward to God’s plan for the days ahead.” Vicky’s physical home may have changed, but her spiritual home remains constant, within. Her unwavering faith has been a mainstay in her own life. “While I don’t attend church regularly, everything I do is influenced by my having experienced God’s grace and love for me and knowing it is always available to everyone in the world. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart…lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” A student of the Bible, Vicky had always felt drawn to the Holy Land and can readily surprise some of her many Jewish friends such as myself with her recital of prayers and sayings in Hebrew. One such friend is pen pal Shimon, a professor of photography in Jerusalem, who was the catalyst for a trip to Israel in the autumn of 2006. “Ever since I was a kid, I had always wanted to go to the Holy Land but as an adult my horseracing career always took a front seat. From floating for the first time on the Dead Sea and driving up the coast of the Mediterranean to Rosh Hanikra just on the border with Lebanon and Northwestern hills of Galilee to the beaches of Ashkelon, Shimon took special time to share places with me that few people get to see. I could write a whole book about our visit and beauty that is Israel. I felt that I could actually go back and live there. Galilee had much of the sights and smells that reminded me very much of Sardinia, Italy, where I lived as a kid.” The trip to Israel allowed her to indulge another deep love, photography, clicking away with her high end camera to her heart’s content. “In addition to still photography, I shot over 15 hours of movie film in Israel and edited it into a short (15 minute) DVD. My passion for photography is right up there with racing, yet offers a different kind of expression. It provides another way for me to connect with people and animals in a way that is really rewarding.” Vicky has turned her artistic expression into a side business that combines her two worlds. “For the past 10 years, I’ve enjoyed creating my own line of handmade gift horseshoes. I have built up a successful business with customers from all over the world based on the ideal of providing quality, originality and solid customer service.” If you’re sensing there is a sales pitch in there, there should be. Vicky put in all the leg work, using search engines to increase visibility. “I started the Bon Chance horseshoe gift business (www.BonChanceHorseshoes.com) in 2000 and put together a website, working out the logistics back then using PayPal to incorporate a way for customers to purchase my horseshoe designs online and have been filling orders to this day. It sounds simple but it takes time and working on search engine optimization taught me a lot about Internet marketing.” There is no woman better qualified to dress up a memorable moment on the track than Vicky. She first began with shadow boxes, infusing each with her own special touch before switching the focus to engraved plates and plaques. The night of her induction into the Washington Racing Hall of Fame however, the tables were turned. This time it was the industry coming together to honor her, rediscovering the Great Northwest story that is her career through old footage, archival photos, and even a testimonial on “how tough this gal is” from former Clerk of Scales, Lindy Aliment. “It is an honor that I was not expecting and am deeply humbled by the recognition.”
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Vicky
with her father, George at the WA Racing Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony