7,000 : Pincay Wins 3 to Pass Milestone on Opening Day at Hollywood

Standing in the winner’s circle at Hollywood Park Wednesday afternoon, Laffit Pincay said that, yes, he does indeed remember Huelen, the horse that gave him his first victory.

That was way back when, on May 19, 1964, at the Presidente Remon Racetrack in Pincay’s native Panama City. Almost ancient history for Pincay, who turns 42 Dec. 29.

Wednesday, before an opening-day crowd of 14,980, another horse, a gray 3-year-old named Phone Bid, gave Pincay reason to remember him, too.

On the Wayne Lukas-trained colt and wearing the green silks of owner Peter M. Brant, Pincay became only the second jockey to ride 7,000 winners, joining Bill Shoemaker in that exclusive club.

“I think I’ll get to 8,000,” Pincay said. “But I don’t think I’ll catch Shoe (who has 8,782 victories).”

Shoemaker, Pat Valenzuela and Martin Pedroza were among the first riders to congratulate Pincay when he returned to the jockeys’ room.

How far short of Pincay is he? Valenzuela was asked.

“Oh, about 6,000 or so,” the Oak Tree champion said, reflecting the awe with which most of the younger riders regard Shoemaker and Pincay.

Pincay needed two victories Wednesday to reach the milestone. He achieved the first in the fourth race when Upinthesky gave him a No. 6,999 and, after a third-place finish in the next race, he brought Phone Bid home first in the seventh.

After the pair had crossed under the wire, Pincay punched the air with his fist and patted Phone Bid on the neck. It was also at Hollywood Park that Pincay reached the 2,000- and 3,000-victory plateaus.

“He has the ability, the toughness and the dedication a great rider has to have,” fellow jockey Fernando Toro had said earlier in the day. “All he has on his mind is horses and riding. Laffit has been very consistent, and he’s had the power to overcome all the problems a jockey has, the weight problems and everything else. I think he deserves it.”

Pincay, nicknamed the Pirate, almost had victory No. 7,001 in the day’s feature race, the $89,200 Moccasin Stakes for 2-year-old fillies. He led aboard another Lukas horse, Agotaras, until deep in the stretch, then had the filly tire beneath him and had to settle for third.

Instead, it was Eddie Delahoussaye aboard Hot Novel who won the first stakes race of the meeting and gave trainer Fabio Nor his first stakes win.

Closing strongly in the final sixteenth of a mile, Hot Novel covered the 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16 3/5 on a fast track, finishing a length ahead of Irishkite, a 38-to-1 shot ridden by Corey Black. Agotaras and Pincay were just a head behind.

“She ran great,” Delahoussaye said, indicating that Nor had suggested he lay off the pace and save the best for last. It paid off.

“When I called on her, she just accelerated through the stretch,” Delahoussaye said. “It worked out great. I waited as long as I could before calling on her, and when she did move, she moved away from (Agotaras and Kool Arrival, who finished fourth).

Kool Arrival, trained by Mel Stute and ridden by Pat Valenzuela, had been sent off as the even-money favorite, but lacked a finishing kick. Two others who had been expected to do well, Lady Lister and Executive Row, were fifth and seventh, respectively, in the field of nine.

Hot Novel, by Mari’s Book out of Quite Honestly by Believe It, paid $9.40, $6.00 and $6.00 for her third victory in 4 starts. The Kentucky-bred filly, owned by Joanne H. Nor, took the $54,100 winner’s share of the purse, more than doubling her earnings. Irishkite paid $25.20 and $16.80, and Agotaras paid $8.40 to show.

Fabio Nor, Joanne’s husband, said he would point the filly toward the $500,000 Hollywood Starlet Dec. 4.

It was already growing dark by the time the ninth race went to the gate, but Pincay, for one, was not ready to call it a day.

Before heading home to celebrate his 7,000th victory, he got a start on the next thousand by winning the nightcap aboard Hollywood Halo.

As opening days go, this one, like Pincay, was hard to beat.

Horse Racing Notes

Fernando Valenzuela, the leading apprentice in the just-concluded Oak Tree meeting with 19 winners, was first under the wire on opening day in Inglewood, riding Polynesian Chief to a 2-length victory in the first race for trainer Craig Lewis. . . . Unbeaten King Glorious, whose 3 victories include a 4-length win in the $100,000 Hollywood Juvenile under Chris McCarron last July 23, returns to action after a lengthy layoff Saturday when trainer Jerry Hollendorfer saddles him for the $75,000-added Hollywood Prevue Stakes. Among those expected to challenge King Glorious in the Grade III, 7-furlong event are trainer Mel Stute’s Shipping Time, to be ridden by Corey Black, and Crown Collection, trained by Wayne Lukas and ridden by Laffit Pincay.