HOLLYWOOD PARK : Valenzuela’s Loss Becomes Pincay’s Gain

Once again, Pat Valenzuela’s loss was another jockey’s gain.

Valenzuela, who called in sick Saturday, has blown several stakes victories over the years after he has taken time off for various reasons.

That list includes Hawkster in the 1989 Oak Tree Invitational, My Sonny Boy in the inaugural California Cup Classic and Corby in the San Felipe Stakes earlier this year.

Saturday at Hollywood Park, Laffit Pincay was the beneficiary. He picked up the mount on Devoted Brass, who ended a five-race losing streak with a three-length victory in the $214,000 Swaps Stakes.

Wearing four pink bandages and blinkers for the first time, the 3-year-old Dixieland Band gelding stayed close to the slow pace, then drew away when a hole opened along the rail. The 6-1 third choice, Devoted Brass, who hadn’t won since the San Rafael Stakes on Feb. 27, covered the 1 1/4 miles in 2:00 3/5.

Future Storm, the 3-2 favorite by a margin of $5 over Codified, finished 3 1/2 lengths ahead of the second choice, whose three-race winning streak ended.

Seventh in the local standings with 42 victories entering Saturday, Pincay got his first stakes victory of the 72-day meeting, which will end Monday.

“When they told me that Pat took off, I looked at his mounts and said that I was open for the first race,” Pincay said.

Miss Dominique, Valenzuela’s scheduled mount in the first race, finished second under Chris McCarron, but Pincay didn’t miss out in the Swaps.

“When I didn’t pick up the mount in the first race, I went to get in the hot water for a little while,” he said. “Then, somebody came inside and told me I was going to ride Devoted Brass. I said, ‘Oh, that’s pretty good,’ because I knew he had a chance.”

Trainer Noble Threewitt, 82, was also confident because of Devoted Brass’ final two works before the Swaps.

Fitted with blinkers, he went five furlongs in 58 4/5 on July 12, then came back six days later and went six furlongs in 1:12 2/5.

“I put the blinkers on to get him on the bit a little more,” Threewitt said. “He’s been training well since his last race (a fourth-place finish behind Codified in the Affirmed Handicap on July 3). He’s tough to train. He won’t work.

“I wanted to get a good work in him before his last race, and he went out and had the slowest time of 23 horses that morning. His last two works, with the blinkers, were good.

“The trip to Chicago (for the Illinois Derby on May 8) took a lot out of him. It was hot and humid and he never did relax and the track was all sand. When I saw Pincay was available (Saturday), that’s all I needed to know. This is a very big day for me.”

Codified, who was on the lead through fractions of 23 1/5, 48 and 1:11 4/5, was no match for the first two finishers late.

“He didn’t seem to be himself,” jockey Gary Stevens said. “I thought he’d be a little more aggressive down the backside. I was willing to go a little faster and hopefully establish a little more of a lead down the backside and hopefully tire them out chasing me, but he just wasn’t into it today.

“He wasn’t the same horse on the racetrack that I rode last time. As a matter of fact, I believe he would have been life and death to win going 1 1/8 miles. To be honest with you, I can’t give a true opinion about the 1 1/4 miles. I know that’s what most people are going to say, ‘Oh, he can’t get the 1 1/4 miles.’ But, in my heart, I can’t honestly use that as an excuse because I definitely wasn’t sitting on the same horse today as his last race.”

Manny’s Prospect was fourth in the Swaps, then came Royal Egyptian and Is Me, who was making his American and dirt track debut.