Many summers ago, Joe Baze took his son to a spot he knew well.

On that warm day at the horse race track, the elder Baze began pointing out the top trainers and jockeys in the Seattle area. He had one piece of advice for his son, Russell Baze.

"He told me that you have to be lucky to stay in the game and you also have to work real hard," Russell said. "It stuck with me and gave me motivation not just to get to the top, but to stay on top."

Russell has been on top of the horse racing world for many years now and recently won his 10,000th race, more than any jockey in North America. He has twice won the Eclipse Award, given to the top jockey in the United States, and was elected to the horse racing Hall of Fame in 1999.

Joe and Beverley Baze, of Townsend, have followed their son's exploits throughout his career, a level of support the distinguished jockey acknowledges helped him reach his pinnacle of success.

Horses have always been a part of life in the Baze family. Joe's mother and grandfather were both jockeys and several other members were involved in horse racing.

Joe followed in their footsteps and began racing horses when he reached the minimum age requirement - 16.

He raced in California and had quite of bit success, but injuries hindered his progress. In 1951 he suffered a terrible injury while racing and lost a kidney. Joe returned to racing and in 1964 he pulled off a rare feat, winning six races in one day at San Francisco's Golden Gate Fields.

Russell would later outdo his father, winning seven races in one day at the same track more than 25 years later. Russell followed that up with two more wins the next morning.

Despite his success, the kidney injury kept Joe from a long career in the sport.

"That was always a limiting factor in how long he could ride," Russell said. "He had one kidney left and he couldn't afford to go down and lose another."

In 1964, Joe walked away from riding horses to work as a trainer. Joe and Beverley started a farm in Washington's Yakima Valley, where his children were introduced to the sport.

It certainly wasn't glamorous early on, as the children were expected to do the dirty work cleaning out stalls. This practical approach instilled a solid work ethic in the Baze children.

"I had a real good grounding and basic education in horsemanship," Russell said.

"We made them all work," Beverley said. "If they wanted something like a car, we made the kids work for it."

When he turned 16, Russell was allowed to race his horse. It was at a track in Walla Walla, Wash., and he rode an Appaloosa to a third-place finish.

"Dad never pushed me to be a rider," Russell said. "They have always been supportive. It was a little harder on my mother after she watched Dad get hurt. It was a little extra stress worrying about me and my little brother riding at the same time."

Russell's brothers Jeff and Dale both rode, but never reached the same level of distinction as their brother.

"The main thing as far I am concerned is that you can teach anyone the mechanics of a sport, but not all seven-footers are basketball players," Jim said.

Russell takes training rides every morning. His work ethic and will to win has allowed him to pile up an astonishing number of victories having competed in more than 44,000 races in his career.

Russell's lifestyle also contributes to his winning ways. As a devout Mormon, he doesn't drink or smoke. He also doesn't cut weight like many jockeys do. Russell has kept up his 5-foot-4, 114-pound frame for most of his career.

Russell, now 49, likely will add a few more wins to his record -- a record that won't be broken any time soon.

When he steps away from the sport for good he will have his parents to thank for much of his success.

"It's always nice to have good parents," he said. "Every child needs them."

Sports editor Tom Cotton: 447-4070 or tom.cotton@helenair.com