Pincay Moves Closer to Jockey Record

It wasn’t easy, but jockey Laffit Pincay made more progress in his quest to catch Bill Shoemaker and become horse racing’s winningest rider.

After losing with his first three mounts on Thursday at Hollywood Park, Pincay won the seventh race with 4-1 shot Dancing Afleet, beating 2-1 second choice Brilliantly by a nose in 1:44 3/5 for the 1 1/16 miles.

The victory was the 8,818th of Pincay’s career, leaving him 15 behind Shoemaker and making it increasingly likely the Hall of Famer will reach 8,834 before Hollywood Park’s autumn meet ends Dec. 20.

Through the first seven days of the 31-day season, he has seven winners. Pincay has had at least one winner 10 of the last 12 racing days.

Dancing Afleet won for the third time in 20 starts.

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If trainer Bob Baffert is going to continue his win streak in the $100,000 Hollywood Prevue Stakes on Saturday, it will be considered an upset.

Baffert, who has won the prep for the $200,000 Hollywood Futurity on Dec. 18 the last three years with the late Premier Property, Commitisize and In Excessive Bull, will be represented by Cameron Pass and Magical Dragon on Saturday.

The race favorite, however, will be Joopy Doopy, a son of Gilded Time trained by Lewis Cenicola. Joopy Doopy has won two of five races, including a recent 7-1 surprise in the Sunny Slope Stakes at Santa Anita. Victor Espinoza will ride and Joopy Doopy will break from the rail in the field of seven.

Besides the two Baffert horses, the others entered Thursday morning were Service Term, Tejan, Badgets Ruler and Grey Memo.

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Banshee Breeze, who won the Eclipse Award as the top 3-year-old filly of 1998, has been retired and will be sent to Claiborne Farm to be bred.

Owned by James Tafel and Jayeff B Stables and trained by Carl Nafzger, the Unbridled filly completed her career with 10 wins in 18 starts and earned nearly $2.8 million.

A winner of five Grade I races, Banshee Breeze was beaten twice in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff. She finished second last year to Escena, losing by a nose, and was three-quarters of a length behind winner Beautiful Pleasure in the Distaff earlier this month at Gulfstream Park.

Horse Racing Notes

Pat Valenzuela moved into first place in the jockey standings with wins on Inchacooley and Lovbudd’s Brass on Thursday. Valenzuela now has nine victories, two more than Isaias Enriquez and Laffit Pincay. . . . There is a Pick Six carryover for tonight’s races of $79,674.

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COUNTDOWN TO 8,833 / RIDING TO THE RECORD

Charting Laffit Pincay Jr. as he closes in on Bill Shoemaker’s record for victories by a jockey:

Thursday at Hollywood Park

Mounts: 5

Victories: 1

Overall: 8,818

Wins needed for tie: 15