Top Jockey Didn’t Get to Ride Off Into Sunset

While the Santa Anita winter-spring meet had several highlights, it might be best remembered for what could have been Laffit Pincay Jr.’s final ride.

The world’s winningest jockey with 9,530 victories, Pincay suffered two broken bones in his neck during a spill on March 1, shortly before he was to go for his sixth Santa Anita Handicap win.

Still recuperating, Pincay, 56, has made no final decision about his future, but his family and close friends are hoping he calls it a career. If he does, Pincay will become the third stalwart in the local jockey colony to retire in less than a year. Chris McCarron, now Santa Anita’s general manager, retired last June; Eddie Delahoussaye, who last rode at Del Mar last summer, made his retirement official in January.

Pincay wasn’t the only hall of fame rider to be sidelined during the meet. Julie Krone, who returned last fall after retiring in the spring of 1999, injured her back in a spill and isn’t scheduled to come back until July, when Del Mar opens. There were also serious injuries to Joe Steiner and Danny Sorenson.

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One reporter’s opinions on the bests of the meet:

Older Horse: Milwaukee Brew. He won the track’s biggest and most famous race, the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap, edging favored Congaree. His narrow victory enabled the 6-year-old Wild Again horse, trained by Bobby Frankel for owner Frank Stronach, to become the first undisputed two-time winner of the race. John Henry won back-to-back Big ‘Caps in 1981 and ‘82, but the latter victory came after Perrault was disqualified from first and placed second.

Older Filly/Mare: Starrer. She has blossomed for owner George Krikorian under trainer John Shirreffs, but she has done her damage while Azeri, the queen of the division, has been away. Let’s see how the winner of the Santa Maria and Santa Margarita handicaps fares when Azeri returns to racing in California. Also deserving of mention is Got Koko, who swept the three-race La Canada series for 4-year-old fillies before finishing off the board in the Santa Margarita.

Grass Filly/Mare: Tates Creek. She ran only once early in the meet, winning the San Gorgonio Handicap and gets the nod in a division in which there wasn’t a standout. She has been extremely consistent throughout her career for owner-breeder Juddmonte Farms and Frankel.

Grass Horse: Redattore. A versatile 8-year-old trained by Richard Mandella, he won nicely against a moderate allowance field in his first start of 2003, then beat a solid group in the $400,000 Kilroe Mile on March 1. One of his victims in that Grade II was Good Journey, a multiple stakes winner and the third-place finisher in the 2002 Breeders’ Cup Mile.

3-Year-Old Horse: Buddy Gil. Atswhatimtalknabout, who has yet to win a stakes race, got most of the attention, but it was Buddy Gil who got the important wins. After winning the Baldwin Stakes on the turf in his first start for trainer Jeff Mullins, Buddy Gil switched to the dirt and won the San Felipe Stakes at 9-1 odds, then, overlooked again at 6-1, he prevailed over longshot Indian Express in the Santa Anita Derby.

3-Year-Old Filly: Composure. An injury ended her career prematurely, but she displayed her quality with wins over rival Elloluv in the Las Virgenes and Santa Anita Oaks handicaps. Elloluv flattered her by going east and winning the Ashland Stakes at Keeneland, toying with the previously undefeated Lady Tak earlier this month.

Sprinter: Captain Squire. Like Tates Creek, he only ran once here, but his win for Mullins in the inaugural Sunshine Millions Sprint was the most impressive by any sprinter during a season that began Dec. 26.

Claimer: Kedington. The 4-year-old son of Seattle Proud won his fifth race since Feb. 9 on Wednesday. He was ridden by Tyler Baze in each of his victories, the first of which came by disqualification.

Trainer: Mullins. Bob Baffert is going to lead the standings for a seventh consecutive year, but Mullins won at a much higher percentage and he swept the San Felipe and Santa Anita Derby with Buddy Gil.

Jockey: Patrick Valenzuela. He has been on top of the standings from start to finish to win a Santa Anita title for the first time in his career.

Accomplishment: Bluesthestandard. The Georgia-bred, who began his career in a $25,000 maiden claimer and raced for $10,000 more than once, won three times at the meet for owner Jeffrey Sengara and trainer Ted H. West and scored his biggest win in the Potrero Grande last month. Among those behind him was Kona Gold, the former Breeders’ Cup Sprint and Eclipse champion.

Race: Santa Anita Handicap. Milwaukee Brew and Congaree separated themselves from the field and ran as a tandem the final quarter mile before the former, who is more comfortable at the Big ‘Cap distance of 1 1/4 miles, edged the 3-5 favorite by a head.