It’s Five-Way Battle for Riding Title : Hollywood Park: With six days left in meeting, Valenzuela, Stevens and 3 others are in close contest.
With six days to go and 54 races remaining to be run at the Hollywood Park Spring/Summer meeting, a five-way battle for the riding title has taken shape.
After 61 days of racing, 27-year old Patrick Valenzuela tops the rider’s victory list with 55 winners, just three winners ahead of Gary Stevens, and four ahead of Laffit Pincay Jr. Alex Solis, with 49 winners, and Julio Garcia, with 47, are also battling for the title.
Of the contenders, only Pincay, the 43-year-old dean of the local jockey colony, and Stevens have ever won a riding title at Hollywood. Pincay has 12 such titles while Stevens was the leading rider in 1986 and 1988.
Pincay rode 84 winners during the Spring/Summer meeting last year to finish ahead of Chris McCarron by six wins (78) and Stevens by 19 (65). Pincay is the second all-time leading rider at Hollywood Park, behind the retired Bill Shoemaker. Valenzuela ranks 10th all-time and Stevens is No. 12. Each of the riders was asked his thoughts about the title chase.
Valenzuela: “The thing about coming into the final week and going for the title is hoping you get the best mounts and trying your hardest to win races. It doesn’t worry me about fighting off the other riders to stay on top, but winning this title would mean a lot to me. This is my second meet back, and I’ve had some pretty good business. I just hope to continue the way I’m going down at Del Mar.”
Pincay: “I like this battle for leading rider. I like it a lot. I can’t wait for the final week. I just hope I get a lot of chances to ride some good horses. If I win the title, I will be very proud because it has been a very tough meeting. If I lose, I will still be happy because I gave it my best. I don’t rely on excuses. I’ll give it my best and that’s all I can ask for.”
Stevens: “Coming into the final week, I don’t plan on doing anything different that I haven’t done all meeting long. Winning the riding title is secondary. You don’t go out there every race thinking about the riding title. You go out there thinking you want to win each race as it comes. It’s great if you win the title, but your main intention is to win as many races as you can every day. If you can do that, the titles will come.”
Solis: “Being the leading rider means a lot to me. I have had a very good meet at Hollywood Park, and the Friday night racing was fun. I am very happy for what I have been able to accomplish up to now. All the riders here are working to be leading rider. It’s very tough to ride here. You just hope for some good horses and hope you get some racing luck.”
Garcia: “If I didn’t have days (5-day suspension) the other week, I might have been leading rider by now. I’m lucky to have a good agent, and coming into the final week I hope I can get some good horses to ride. I try every day to win all the races I ride. If I continue to ride strong, I may be able to win the leading rider title.”
Pincay and Solis, 26, are both natives of Panama City, Panama, while Garcia, 27, is from Carolina, Puerto Rico. Stevens, 27, is from Caldwell, Ida., and Valenzuela was born in Montrose, Colo.. All five riders now make their homes in Southern California.