Michael Baze takes riding title at Hollywood Park

On closing day at Hollywood Park, 20-year-old Michael Baze was presented a Tiffany watch after becoming the youngest jockey to win a riding title at the spring-summer meet since Hall of Famer Bill Shoemaker won the title in 1950 at the age of 18.

“It’s unbelievable,” Baze said. “It was me working hard in the morning, learning from mistakes, and all the trainers and owners giving me a chance.”

Baze entered Sunday four wins ahead of 17-year-old apprentice Joe Talamo. Baze won two races to give him 73 winners during the 63-day meeting. Talamo finished with 68 victories, the second-most by an apprentice in track history. Baze grew up in central Washington with no aspirations of becoming a jockey even though his first cousin, Tyler Baze, was the 2000 Eclipse Award winner as an apprentice jockey.

“I was a normal kid, into skateboarding and bikes,” he said. “When I was 13, I started watching Tyler ride.”

At 15, a family friend, trainer Dennis Ward, asked whether he wanted to learn how to ride.

“I said I’d give it a shot, and sure enough, here I am,” he said. “It was always a goal to be a leading rider, but it came so quickly.”

Baze and his agent, Nick Cosato, became partners in the middle of the Santa Anita meet, and the two are hoping to keep their hot streak going beginning Wednesday at Del Mar.

Baze had little time to celebrate Sunday. He was planning to have a “nice” dinner, then pack and drive to Del Mar, where he must rise at 4:30 this morning to work out a couple of horses.

“I got to keep it going,” he said.

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Jockey Alex Solis, 43, showed again he’s a money man in stakes races. He rallied Runaway Dancer from last place to a 2 1/4 -length win over Fitz Flag in the Grade II $150,400 Sunset Handicap at 1 1/2 miles on the turf. It was the third consecutive year Solis has ridden the winning horse in the Sunset.

It ended a seven-race losing streak for Runaway Dancer, an 8-year-old gelded son of Runaway Groom who’s trained by Dan Hendricks and owned by Mike Kennedy and his sister, Kathleen Kennedy. In three previous Sunset appearances, Runaway Dancer had been fourth, tied for second and last year was sixth.

Pacesetter Bright Prediction opened a 12-length lead in the six-horse field. Stormin Away and Spring House caught up heading into the final turn. Runaway Dancer unleashed his closing kick in the stretch, and the race was over. The final time was 2 minutes 27.68 seconds.

“He puts in some fantastic finishes,” Hendricks said.

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Scottsbluff, a 5-year-old gelded son of Siberian Summer, won the $94,000 Robert K. Kerlan Memorial Handicap by a nose over Bonfante, covering the six furlongs on the turf in a stakes-record time of 1:07.54 under jockey Clinton Potts. Scottsbluff is trained by Jeff Mullins, who won two races Sunday, giving him a share of the training title with Doug O’Neill. Each had 26 wins.

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For the first time, opening day at Del Mar will have three divisions of the $75,000 Oceanside Stakes for 3-year-olds going one mile on the turf.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com