Pomona Handicap : Pincay Wins, Extends His Working Vacation

There’s many a jockey who would like to take a vacation and then do what Laffit Pincay has done in the last two weeks.

Pincay, theoretically resting between the end of the Del Mar meet and the start of the Oak Tree season at Santa Anita on Wednesday, rode Speedratic to a three-length victory Sunday on closing day at the Los Angeles County Fair, giving him two stakes winners for the afternoon, three for the weekend and four for his so-called vacation.

Speedratic’s victory came in the $150,000 Pomona Handicap as the fair completed its 18-day run at Fairplex Park. He’s a Saros, who had won the Pomona Handicap the last two years, made a strong late run to finish second.

Pincay’s weekend started on Saturday when he won a $200,000 race, the Arlington-Washington Lassie, on Trumpet’s Blare. In the race before Sunday’s handicap, Pincay rode Tapping Tudor to a 14-length victory in the $32,840 Amanda S. Stakes. A week ago, Pincay traveled to Belmont Park, riding Bayakoa to a victory over Open Mind in the Ruffian Handicap.

Pincay’s surge of stakes success has moved him closer to the $9-million mark in purses for the year, but he is still in second place in the national standings, more than $1.5 million behind Pat Day.

Pincay had Speedratic in second place behind Jet Ski in the early part of Sunday’s race, then moved him ahead on the second run down the backstretch. Although He’s a Saros rallied through the short stretch, he was never a threat to overtake the winner. He’s a Saros finished a half-length ahead of Stylish Winner. Next, in order, came Conquering Hero, You’re No Bargain, Just as Lucky, Jet Ski, Leasee, Crackedbell, Might Snow and President’s Summit. Individualist and Recitation Spin were scratched.

Speedratic went off the favorite in a crowd of 18,170 and paid $4.80, $3.60 and $2.80. He’s a Saros paid $7.40 and $4 and Stylish Winner, who was coupled in the betting with Just as Lucky, returned $2.60.

Speedratic hadn’t won in five starts this year, but it wasn’t because he was running dull races. He had four seconds to some solid horses--Lively One, Olympic Native, On the Line and Mi Preferido--and was fourth in the Strub at Santa Anita in February. Speedratic’s last victory came six races back, in the Affirmed Handicap at Hollywood Park in November.

On Sunday, Speedratic earned $82,500, sending his earnings over the $380,000 mark. He covered the distance of about 1 1/8 miles in 1:49 1/5, three-fifths of a second slower than the track record.

Mike Mitchell, Speedratic’s trainer, bought him as a 2-year-old out of a Florida auction for $50,000. The horse’s owners are Steve and David Ustin, Robert Kerlan and Bob Salka.

“This is the best horse I’ve ever had, and he’s the best these owners have ever had,” said Mitchell, who has been training since 1974.

Horse Racing Notes

Laffit Pincay hadn’t ridden at the Los Angeles County Fair since 1986. . . . In another stake Sunday, Eddie Champion, a 2-year-old colt ridden by David Flores, won the Fairplex Breeders’ Cup, with Cook Book, under Corey Black, finishing second. . . . That victory by Flores enabled him to finish in a tie with Black for the meet’s riding title. They each had 19 winners with Black, who had won the title three straight years, failing to produce a winner from seven mounts Sunday. . . . Danny Velasquez won the training title with seven winners, one more than Mel Stute and Craig Lewis, who shared second place.

Corey Nakatani, a 19-year-old apprentice, will sit out the first five days of the Oak Tree meeting after receiving a suspension from Fairplex stewards. The stewards ruled that Nakatani and his mount cut off a horse ridden by Martin Pedroza going into the first turn of Sunday’s fifth race. There was a minor scuffle between the two jockeys en route to the jockeys’ room and there were fines of $200 against Pedroza and $100 against Nakatani as a result. Nakatani rode back-to-back winners of $100,000 races during the weekend at Fairplex, winning the Pomona Derby with Annual Date and the Las Madrinas Handicap with Corvettin.

Overall betting at Fairplex totaled $59.7 million, which was about $4.2 million more than last year. On track, the handle increased by about $400,000, and at the eight off-track locations the handle increased to $16 million.