"I feel great and I'm really healthy right now," he said. "I'm enjoying what I'm doing."

Baze was especially happy Friday when he broke Laffit Pincay Jr.'s nearly 7-year-old record with a victory aboard Butterfly Belle at Bay Meadows.

His 9,531st win came in typical Baze fashion as he found a hole along the rail and drove through it. He whipped the filly right-handed down the stretch to win on the Longden turf course, named for Johnny Longden, who once held the record Baze broke.

"Who would've thought 32 years ago a skinny little kid with no experience would be standing here today," Baze said in the winner's circle. "I could hardly believe this would happen."

Crossing the finish line, Baze said he felt "elation that I had won the race and become the winningest rider, and relief that now it's over. Everybody can go home."

The low-key rider doffed his helmet to the cheering crowd of 1,811.

"I'm not going to do much celebrating," he said. "I'm going to do a lot of relaxing."

Fans wanting souvenir $2 win tickets bet Butterfly Belle down to the 9-5 favorite despite her 10-race losing streak going in. The 4-year-old filly paid $5.60 to win in the $12,500 claiming race.

Pincay, who had been on hand for five days waiting to congratulate his successor, said he bet on every horse except Baze's in the historic race.

"I was trying to jinx them," he said.

Typical of Baze's dedication, he went ahead and rode in the day's final three races after breaking the record. He finished 1-for-7 on the day.

Baze figures to own the record for years to come. The only other active rider in the top 10 is veteran Earlie Fires, who is more than 3,000 wins behind.

"Probably no one will ever break his record," Pincay said. "He likes what he's doing and he's got the ability. He likes the competition."

Pincay had owned the mark since Dec. 10, 1999, when he took it from Bill Shoemaker. Baze tied the record of 9,530 Thursday.

Shoemaker had been the king for 29 years after surpassing Longden.

The record is the crowning achievement of a career that began with Baze's first winner in 1974 at Yakima Meadows, Wash., riding a horse trained by his father. Butterfly Belle was bred in Washington state.

Baze has spent the majority of his career in the Bay Area, having tried the ultra-competitive Southern California circuit for three years in the late 1980s with little success.

He has ridden in just two Kentucky Derbies 10 years apart, and is 0-for-3 in the Breeders' Cup.

"I gladly would've been a big fish in a big pond," he said about his brief stint in the big time. "I'm still available if someone wants to give me more chances."

Baze is not the legendary rider that Shoemaker, Pincay and Longden were, but he's respected for his dedication and competitive desire.

"Russell is a great rider and he works very hard," Pincay told the fans. "It takes a lot of ability and dedication to win that many races."

Baze dominates the Bay Area tracks, leaving other jockeys scrambling to get mounts that routinely fall to him simply because of reputation. He has won 36 riding titles at Bay Meadows, the track where Seabiscuit ran.

"Just keep doing what you're doing, but not too much longer because we need to make a living, too," said Joey Castro, speaking on behalf of the Bay Meadows jockey colony.

Asked what his legacy would be, Baze replied, "I'd like them to think, hopefully, what they think of me now _ a guy that went out and gave his best every time he went out to the racetrack."