This May Be the Meet That Pincay Wraps Up Record

If Laffit Pincay Jr. continues at this pace, the Hall of Fame jockey will pass Bill Shoemaker as the sport’s all-time leading rider at Hollywood Park, which kicked off its 31-day autumn meet Wednesday.

Third behind David Flores and Alex Solis in the standings at Santa Anita’s Oak Tree meet which concluded Monday, Pincay started at Inglewood the way he finished at Arcadia.

On an opening-day card in which only one favorite won, Pincay scored with 9-2 shot Terra Kitty in the third to move to within 21 victories of tying Shoemaker’s record of 8,833.

He also maintained his six-day winning streak. The last day he did not reach the winner’s circle was Halloween.

Hollywood Park’s all-time leader with 2,779 victories, Pincay has only three mounts on today’s card, but the morning line of Russ Hudak suggests the jockey has a good chance to continue his streak.

Pincay will ride 2-1 second choice Super Ciel in the first, 2-1 second choice Russemira in the third and Bridge Of Freedom, a 4-1 shot, in the fifth race.

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Prince Ahmed Salman’s Thoroughbred Corp. kept rolling when favored Desert Lady won the $72,350 Safely Kept Handicap on Wednesday.

Desert Lady’s half-length victory over 5-2 third choice Top Order was the third stakes win in five days for the Thoroughbred Corp. Anees, at 30-1, won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile on Saturday and Sapphire Ring took the Las Palmas Handicap at Santa Anita on Sunday. In addition, Royal Anthem was a good second to Daylami in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.

“It’s been nice, but good horses are supposed to run well,” said Richard Mulhall, the racing manager for Salman. “It’s just too bad there aren’t that many races in [Desert Lady’s] category. I know this, I will take her sprinting on turf against just about any filly or mare that I can think of.”

A troubled second while racing as the 8-5 choice in the Sen. Ken Maddy Handicap on Sept. 29 at Santa Anita, Desert Lady had a clean trip Wednesday, winning for the seventh time in 17 starts. She covered the 5 1/2 furlongs on turf in 1:03 under jockey Garrett Gomez, who subbed for an absent Gary Stevens.

“This filly didn’t break well, but she sure did everything else right,” Gomez said. “She got me right up into the race, moved me off the fence and put me in all the right spots by herself.

“Everything I wanted her to do, she did. We eased out coming off the turn, and it’s nice to have that much horse underneath you.”

This was the second time in three years trainer Richard Mandella won the Safely Kept. He also finished third Wednesday with Royal Shyness, the 8-5 second choice. This was the first time in four starts Royal Shyness has been beaten on the Hollywood Park turf course.

Horse Racing Notes

In finishing first with 4-1 shot Sexy Too in the fourth race Wednesday, jockey Pat Valenzuela won his first race at Hollywood Park since Bah Bye won on July 22, 1996. Wednesday was also the 21st anniversary of Valenzuela’s first career victory at Sunland Park in New Mexico. . . . Trainer John Shirreffs said Manistique, who finished last in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Saturday, bled in the race. The Unbridled filly, who has yet to win outside California, may try to win the $150,000 Bayakoa Handicap for a second consecutive year on Dec. 11. . . . Spanish Fern, who finished last in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, may make her first start on the main track in the Bayakoa, according to trainer Bobby Frankel. . . . Don Porter, 86, a trainer for more than 60 years, died Monday after complications from heart surgery. Porter trained primarily in Washington and, for the last 30 years, Northern California. . . . Besides the Safely Kept, Richard Mandella won the eighth and final race with first-time starter Picacho N.M., who had to be taken off the track by van because of an undisclosed problem. . . . Jockey Alex Solis had two winners, scoring with Sultry Substitute and Picacho N.M.