FAIRPLEX : It Was Only a Fair Day for Pincay and Family

Laffit Pincay made an appearance at Fairplex Park in Pomona on Friday, cutting his traditional vacation short a few days, saying it was time to ease back into the sport.

“I didn’t do anything, just relax,” he said, when asked what he had been doing since the end of the Del Mar meet Sept. 13. “I didn’t even work, or exercise or nothing. I just wanted to get [racing] out of my system and start all over again.”

It wasn’t the start one would expect from the winningest active jockey in racing. Riding the heavy favorite, Hetoldmesomething, in the fourth race, Pincay’s mount went wide around the final turn and finished third.

In the featured $100,000 Las Madrinas Handicap, aboard Fancy ‘N Fabulous, the bettors’ second choice at 3-1, Pincay dropped out of contention early and finished sixth.

Still, the 48-year-old Hall of Famer said he accomplished three primary objectives:

--He got used to a small track he hadn’t been on since 1993 in preparation for Sunday’s $150,000 Ralph M. Hinds Pomona Invitational Handicap, the richest event of the meet and one that usually draws a big-name jockey or two. Pincay, who won the race in 1989 aboard Speedratic, will be aboard Flying Sensation on Sunday.

--He got in some work in preparation for the beginning of Oak Tree next Wednesday.

“Santa Anita is coming up and you want to get in shape, and you get the chance to ride some horses you’re going to ride later on,” he said. “And, you know, I am not doing anything right now, so why not?”

--He was able to enjoy another day of vacation, sort of. Between mounts Pincay toured the fairgrounds with his wife, Jeanine, and their 2-year-old son, Jean Laffit.

*

Jose Valdivia Jr., the 20-year-old apprentice jockey who leads the Fairplex jockey race, won the biggest race of his career Friday, keeping Ashtabula out of traffic and guiding the filly to a one-length victory over Wende in the Las Madrinas Handicap.

Valdivia’s victory, his second of the day, gives him 19, five ahead of Matt Garcia with three days of racing left.

Valdivia could become the first apprentice to win a Southern California thoroughbred jockey title since Aaron Gryder did it in the 1987 fall meet at Hollywood Park.

Horse Racing Notes

Laffit Pincay isn’t the only late arrival at Fairplex. Alex Solis is expected to arrive in California today from a promotional trip to Japan and will be aboard probable favorite Nancys French Fry in Sunday’s Pomona Invitational Handicap. Solis won the race aboard He’s A Saros in 1987. Corey Black, who won the Fairplex riding title in 1986-89, has also returned and will be aboard Regency. . . . Oncefortheroad at 8-5 is the morning-line favorite for today’s featured race, the Pomona Derby. . . . The fair closes Sunday, and race goers will not be charged for admission for the final day of racing Monday.