Jockey Michael Baze Found Dead in Vehicle at Kentucky Derby/Churchill Downs … Was Facing Cocaine Charge

What a waste …

24 year old Michael Baze, a Kentucky Derby jockey was found dead in his vehicle Tuesday at Churchill Downs, KY. Baze was pronounced dead at 4:47 pm EDT.  His vehicle, a Cadillac Escalade, was parked in the stable area of the track and police are saying there was no sign of foul play. Baze was considered and up and comer from a prominent horse racing family. All that is no more.  An autopsy will be conducted Wednesday morning including toxicology tests.

There were no signs of foul play and the case was being treated as a death investigation, Louisville police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley said. An autopsy was planned.

Baze was a cousin of Hall of Fame jockey Russell Baze, the all-time leading rider in thoroughbred racing, and son of retired jockey Mike Baze, Churchill Downs spokesman John Asher said. An uncle and another cousin are also riders, Asher said.

According to the LA Times, Michael Baze been charged with first-degree possession of cocaine in November 2010 and was scheduled for a preliminary hearing Thursday. He had been arrested for possession of cocaine by Louisville police. The arrest occured at in a parking lot at Baxter Avenue and East Broadway while detectives were conducting a narcotics investigation.

Baze was arrested by Louisville police Nov. 18 in a parking lot near downtown, according to the arrest warrant, after a detective found a small bag of suspected cocaine in Baze’s pants pocket during a search of the jockey’s vehicle.