Russell Baze, who had his nine-year reign snapped in 2004 by Ramon Dominguez,
won the Isaac Murphy Award again from the National Turf Writers Association for
having the highest winning percentage (minimum 500 starts) in 2005. The
47-year-old rider won 375 races from 1,246 starts, a 30.1 percent win clip.
Inaugurated in 1995, the Isaac Murphy Award is named in honor of the
legendary 19th-century black jockey who won with 44 percent of his career
mounts. Baze captured the honor the first nine years it was presented and earned
his 10th for last season. The Northern California-based jockey has won more than
400 races in nine of the last 11 years.
Ken Tohill finished second with a 27.1 percent winning percentage. Next came
Jerry Bailey (25.8 percent), Dominguez (25.5 percent), John Davila Jr. (24.8
percent), Travis Dunkelberger (23.6 percent), Quincy Welch (23.5 percent), Luis
Perez (23.2 percent), Scott Spieth (23.1 percent) and Justin Stein (23 percent).
Baze has won 9,199 races, second to only Laffit Pincay Jr. with 9,530. He was
inducted into the Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame in 1999 and was honored with
the George Woolf Award, which pays homage to jockeys whose careers and personal
character reflect positively on themselves and the sport of Thoroughbred racing,
in 2002.