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70-Year-Old Jockey Perry Ouzts Reaches 7,500 Career Wins Milestone
70-Year-Old Jockey Perry Ouzts Reaches 7,500 Career Wins Milestone originally appeared on Paulick Report.
Jockey Perry Ouzts hit a new milestone after winning two races at Belterra Park, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Saturday, pushing his career win total to 7,500.
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The first victory came in the second race, a maiden special weight event, aboard heavy favorite Calculated Move. He followed it up just two races later with a win in an allowance race riding Decree. Both horses were trained by Barbra Riley.
Ouzts is the leader among active jockeys in North America, with Hall of Famer John Velazquez next with 6,703 wins. The native of Lepanto, Ark., is also the record holder as the oldest jockey to win a race in North America — a feat he accomplished last summer, breaking Frank Amonte Sr. 's record.
"This could be my last summer," Ouzts said at the time after breaking the record.
Nearly 11 months later, the soon to be 71 year-old is still riding – and winning. He has taken four out of his last five mounts.
"I can still do it and feel good and like riding," Ouzts said last summer. "But it's getting harder to get mounts. Nobody wants to ride a 70-year-old. I don't want to be like Tom Brady and stay in two years too long."
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However, Ouzts currently sits fourth in the jockey standings at Belterra with nine wins in 32 starts, and ranks third in earnings with $140,067. His 32 starts ranks sixth among all jockeys, and he's winning at an impressive 28 percent clip.
Ouzts has spent most of his career riding in Northern Kentucky and Ohio. Though he has never won a graded stakes race, he was the subject of an award-winning 2015 documentary "Ironman Perry Ouzts," produced by the Hennegan Brothers.
He ranks fifth all-time in wins, trailing only Russell Baze (12,842 wins), Laffit Pincay Jr. (9,530), William Shoemaker (8,833), and Pat Day (8,803).
Over a career spanning more than 50 years, Ouzts has earned $52,796,464 in purses. He turns 71 on July 7.
This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
