Emotional Sendoff for Pincay

An overcome Laffit Pincay Jr., showered with honors that included a letter of commendation from President Bush and a street named after him in Inglewood, broke down in the winner’s circle Sunday at Hollywood Park.

“I’m overwhelmed by all this,” Pincay said after the crowd gave him a standing ovation at his retirement party. “I’d like to thank all the friends who had all the nice things to say about me. But I also feel sad. There’s a fire inside me [to keep riding] that I can’t put out. I’m proud to be a Panamanian, and I’m proud to be a part of this great country.”

Pincay, 56, announced his retirement in late April, two months after he suffered a broken neck in a spill at Santa Anita. Doctors advised him not to ride again, ending a career that produced a record 9,530 victories.

“I’ve known Laffit since he was 17,” said composer Burt Bacharach, whose first winner as an owner was ridden by Pincay. “I’ve known him through all of his ups and downs. His perseverance and dedication have always inspired me. If it hadn’t been for that accident, he would have still been riding when he was 62 or 63 years old.”

A between-races gathering in the winner’s circle included Pincay’s wife Jeanine, his children, trainers, former agents, valets, racing officials and several Racing Hall of Fame jockeys. Pincay was elected into the hall in 1975.

Included among the Hall of Famers were Bill Shoemaker, whose record of 8,833 wins was broken by Pincay at Hollywood Park in 1999; fellow Panamanian Jorge Velasquez; and Angel Cordero. Velasquez and Cordero, long retired, traveled from New York for the celebration.

“It was a great privilege to ride with the greatest rider in the history of racing,” Shoemaker said. “It is a great privilege to be his friend. I know he will carry on with the rest of his life the way he always has.”

The Dodgers and the Lakers both presented Pincay with game jerseys that had his name and career win total on the back.

“Laffit has been inspiration for every jockey in the world,” said Gary Stevens, a Hall of Fame jockey who’s still riding. “When you hooked up with Laffit at the quarter-pole, you wanted to beat him so much, because you knew that you’d be beating the best. But you also knew that to beat him, you’d better have the best horse under you.”