Perry Ouzts

[PhantomOnTour]

First of all, happy birthday sir.
Second of all, you are 68yrs old....time to retire.

Anyone else think it's dangerous for a jockey to still be riding at that age?
I guess it's dangerous for a jockey to ride at any age, but 68 is way up there.
Somehow he's managed to win at 18% this year

Suppose I'm just a crusty old buzzard myself, but damn, that's a tragedy waiting to happen.

[JustRalph]

No tougher individual on the planet

[lamboguy]

this guy rides better than plenty of guys 40 years younger than him.. there is no chicken in him either.

[rosenowsr]

Happy belated Birthday!!


Thanks for the money I made betting on you.

[BarchCapper]

Originally Posted by PhantomOnTour

First of all, happy birthday sir.
Second of all, you are 68yrs old....time to retire.

Anyone else think it's dangerous for a jockey to still be riding at that age?

No. Depends on the individual. Ouzts is not winning at 18% because trainers/owners want a "feel good" story. It is because his physical and mental abilities are still up to the task, and that's being proven on a consistent basis. I'd argue that his presence on a horse's back makes a tragedy LESS likely to happen as a whole, because of his wisdom and experience in tight situations (as opposed to the way some riders handle or even create those).

[Bustin Stones]

Perry's idea of a perfect ending would probably be riding a 20-1 winning horse and expiring a minute after he crossed the finish line. He isn't the kind of guy who would want to linger in some nursing home.

[BMustang]

Originally Posted by Bustin Stones

Perry's idea of a perfect ending would probably be riding a 20-1 winning horse and expiring a minute after he crossed the finish line. He isn't the kind of guy who would want to linger in some nursing home.

He road his 20-1 winner on Thursday, 7-21, but failed to hold up on the other end of the bargain.
Perry does need to retire. He doesn't want to become the R.A. "Cowboy" Jones of Belterra/River Downs.
If riding the card at 68 isn't enough, he then jumps on his motorcycle and rides it to his home in the vicinity of Turfway Park in Northern Kentucky.
I'm happy to say that I have gotten to see him ride the majority of his career starting sometime back in the '70s riding for W.J. Danner.

[BarchCapper]

Originally Posted by BMustang

Perry does need to retire. He doesn't want to become the R.A. "Cowboy" Jones of Belterra/River Downs.

I hope you're being facetious, and I'm just not picking up on it. Because there is no valid comparison between Cowboy Jones and Perry Ouzts other than length of career.

Cowboy Jones got the last of his wins in 2004 at the age of 61, with last ride coming in 2014 at age 71. He had a total of 11 wins from 1996-2004. (1995 being the last year he had as many as 10 wins.) He topped 10% wins ONE time since Equibase started posting records (1976) - in 1978, at age 35. Equibase has Jones with 265 wins TOTAL in the 39 years they have him riding (of course there are more - he started riding in the late '50's).

Perry Ouzts has 269 wins in just the last 3 1/2 years (from 2019, the year he turned 65!!!). He has not been BELOW 13% wins since 2007!!! The man is phenomenal and a constant inspiration.

[BMustang]

^^ Yes, I am very much comparing Outz to Jones in terms of riding until you can't ride anymore. I remember R.A. Jones in his heyday at Turfway/Latonia. I think of he and Mike McDowell being the two domineering riders on the circuit at that time.
Jones continued to ride until late in life simply to maintain his license as a jockey, which kept him eligible for the health benefits, etc., associated with that status.

Cowboy Jones could not stand up straight (badly hump backed) in the last few years that he continued to get a mount or two. He was a legend at Ellis Park. I have a bobble-head of him on my bookcase - right next to my one of Perry Outz.

To be honest, Outz has lived a charmed life, getting the best mounts at River Downs/Belterrra and riding first call for Billy Hays/Joe Woodard who was the perennial leading owner/trainer combination for decades. After Hays/Woodard, Larry Smith continues to give Outz mounts on "merry-go-round" winners.