Forty Niner Wins Mile at Aqueduct

Forty Niner, carrying a substitute jockey, won the inaugural $567,000 New York Racing Assn. Mile at Aqueduct, beating Mawsuff by a neck in the handicap for 3-year-olds and up.

Forty Niner’s rider was William Fox Jr., who replaced Laffit Pincay. Forty Niner’s owner, Seth Hancock, had told Pincay that if he did not ride Forty Niner in this race, he would not ride him in the $3-million Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 5 at Churchill Downs.

But Pincay did not ride because the unionized jockeys are striking against New York owners over riding fees, even though he has little to gain if the New York riders win the strike.

Forty Niner, a 2-5 favorite, covered the mile in 1 minute 34 seconds and paid $2.80, $2.40 and $2.10. Mawsuff, at 15-1, paid $6.20 and $2.10. Precisionist, ridden by Tony Vegas instead of Chris McCarron, was third and paid $2.10.