Pincay Seems to Own Santa Anita : He Rides 131 Winners, Claims Jockey Title for 12th Time

It began when Irish Zuni’s nose hit the wire on the afternoon of Dec. 26.

It ended when the tip of Allez Aleez’s tail crossed the finish line Monday afternoon.

And between the first horse to finish the first race and the last horse to finish the last race, Santa Anita completed its 50th season, one every bit as hectic and eventful as the 49 that had come before.

When it was finally over, when Monday’s crowd of 34,726 had finished digging up the infield flowers, familiar faces were once again atop the standings.

Laffit Pincay, who brought Irish Zuni home first in that opening race of the 88-day meeting, easily won the jockey title, riding 131 winners in all, just short of his meet-record 138 set in 1971.

Included in that total was Pincay’s astonishing performance March 14, when he rode seven winners on the nine-race card.

As usual, Pincay took a low-key approach to his 12th Santa Anita riding title. It was all a matter of good luck and good horses, he said Monday afternoon.

“A lot of horses came in, and that’s all it takes, good horses,” he said, adding that he had not changed his riding style nor done anything else to improve his fortunes.

“People say that I’m riding differently,” he said. “(But) I don’t feel any different, really. It’s just that when you start winning, you look better.”

Pincay had an opportunity Monday to tie Bill Shoemaker for most stakes victories, too, but neither could win the $100,000 San Jacinto Stakes. Instead, it was Gary Baze who won, bringing the Argentine-bred Forlitano home first, half a length ahead of Bello Horizonte, ridden by Gary Stevens.

Forlitano covered the 1 miles on the turf in 1:59.1 to earn $67,100 for his owners, Mr. and Mrs. C. N. Ray of Knoxville, Tenn.

The victory by the brown 6-year-old gave trainer Charlie Whittingham a track-record fourth-straight stakes win. Whittingham also trains Barbarina, who won Friday’s Great Lady M. Stakes; Bolder Than Bold, who won Saturday’s San Simeon Handicap; and Rosedale, winner of Sunday’s San Juan Capistrano Handicap.

Never before has a trainer won four stakes in four straight days at Santa Anita. Whittingham was the leading money-winning trainer, his horses earning a Santa Anita record $2,561,125.

The 74-year-old trainer was not on hand to be congratulated, however, having flown to Kentucky earlier Monday to prepare Temperate Sil for the Kentucky Derby May 2.

Shoemaker ended the meeting with the most stakes victories, 11, including a win in the Santa Anita Derby aboard Temperate Sil. Pincay and Stevens were second in stakes victories with 10 apiece.

Pincay also was the leading money-winning rider, amassing a track-record total of $3,768,070.

The trainer’s title once again went to Wayne Lukas, his second. Lukas-trained horses won a total of 37 races from 218 starters. Whittingham was second with 33 winners.

Alan Paulson was the meet’s leading owner, his horses combining to earn $727,025, just $2,475 short of the track record.

Santa Anita experienced small but significant increases in total and average attendance and larger and more significant increases in total and average handle.

Total attendance for the meeting was 2,641,207, a 1.5% increase, while average daily attendance was 30,014, a 2.7% increase.

In all, $543,513,927 was bet during the meeting, a 6.4% increase and a California record. The average daily handle rose 7.6% to $6,176,295, a North American record.

Per capita wagering, too, set a track record, totaling $205.78.

Horse Racing Notes Bill Shoemaker, Temperate Sil’s jockey, will fly to Kentucky Tuesday morning to work the Santa Anita Derby winner at Churchill Downs Wednesday morning before returning to ride in that afternoon’s Debonair Stakes at Hollywood Park. . . . Gary Stevens has accepted the mount on Flamingo Stakes winner Talinum for the Kentucky Derby. . . . The three winning tickets in Sunday’s Pick Nine--each worth $965,560.60--were the results of a relatively small bets. None of the winners chose to be identified, but Santa Anita officials announced that a pair of Englishmen cashed two of the bets on tickets costing $64 each. The third winner paid $288 for his ticket. . . . Trainer John Gosden has retired Bonne Ile, winner of the Yellow Ribbon Invitational last fall. Bonne Ile will be bred in Kentucky to Private Account. . . . Audrey Korotkin, executive director of Triple Crown Productions, confirmed Monday that California Derby winner Simply Majestic had not been nominated to run in any of the Triple Crown races. John Parisella, the horse’s trainer, had said earlier that he felt the horse had been nominated and would check his records to find out.