Pincay Remains at Top of Game

Laffit Pincay, who turns 56 Sunday, may be hard-pressed to blow out all the candles. He rides in all but one of the nine races at Santa Anita, and will be aboard David Copperfield in the $150,000 San Gabriel Handicap.

Pincay also celebrated a 36th anniversary Thursday, opening day at Santa Anita. On Dec. 26, 1966, Pincay, in the country for less than a year, won his first race at the track. He since has won 3,478 more there -- nearly 37% of his record total of 9,479.

David Copperfield, who will carry 117 pounds, two less than the top-weighted Decarchy, is Pincay’s 23rd mount in the San Gabriel and could give the hall-of-fame rider his fifth victory in the stake. He hasn’t won it since 1989 but just missed last year when Sligo Bay lost by a head to Irish Prize.

Pincay, a Panamanian, had won 447 races before moving to Chicago in 1966. He spoke little English but had no trouble communicating with horses. He won with his first U.S. mount, at Arlington Park. Then almost six months later at Santa Anita, he broke in with a victory aboard Riding Market.

There has been no slowing down for Pincay, who broke Bill Shoemaker’s record of 8,833 victories at Hollywood Park on Dec. 10, 1999. Pincay was the leading rider late in the recent Hollywood Park meet, then missed the last six days, five because of a suspension. Even so, with 30 victories, he finished third, four behind Alex Solis and Victor Espinosa, who tied for the title.

During one of his days of not riding at Hollywood Park, Pincay attended a day in his honor at Calder Race Course in South Florida. The track had an auction for the Don MacBeth Memorial Jockey Fund and items donated by or associated with Pincay brought in more than half of the $15,000 in total proceeds.

Pincay also rode several races at Calder, winning with a maiden trained by Cam Gambolati. That was a reunion, of sorts. In 1985, Gambolati hired Pincay to ride Spend A Buck in the Jersey Derby when Angel Cordero wasn’t available. Pincay won the race at Garden State Park as Spend A Buck earned a $600,000 purse and a $2-million bonus that went with winning the Kentucky Derby.

David Copperfield has won his last two starts with other jockeys after returning from more than a year on the shelf. In his last start, on Sept. 21, David Copperfield won the Bay Meadows Handicap, which at 1 1/8 miles is the same distance as Sunday’s race.

Also in the 11-horse field are Seinne, White Heart and Decarchy, who ran two-three-four, behind Good Journey, in the Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park on Nov. 30.

Trainer Bobby Frankel, in pursuit of Wayne Lukas’ one-year purse record, has entered three -- Decarchy, Sumitas and Blue Stellar. Jerry Bailey, who’ll ride Decarchy, has 64 stakes victories this year, four short of the record 68 that Mike Smith rode in 1994.

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For the second time in two days Friday, a former claimer pulled an upset in a stakes race at Santa Anita.

About 24 hours after Debonair Joe, a $12,500 claim in September, had shocked his rivals at 26-1 in the Malibu, Pocketfullofpesos, who was claimed for $40,000 on Nov. 9, rallied from off the pace and won the $125,000 California Breeders’ Champion Stakes.

It was the third win in four starts for the In Excess filly, who was claimed by trainer Mike Mitchell for a partnership the day she broke her maiden by six lengths at Hollywood Park. The California Breeders’ was her second victory for Mitchell. Three weeks ago in Inglewood, she won a starter allowance race by six lengths.

Ridden for the first time by Patrick Valenzuela, Pocketfullofpesos completed the seven furlongs in 1:23. Souvenir Copy, a 17-1 longshot, was three lengths behind in second, and another 17-1 outsider, Denali Cat, was third. Humorous Lady, the 13-10 favorite, faded to sixth after setting a fast pace (22 and 44 1/5 for the half-mile).

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Staff writer Bob Mieszerski contributed to this report.