Valenzuela Gets First Stakes Win Since Return

Pat Valenzuela’s first stakes win since his latest return to riding came aboard a horse owned by Ron Waranch, one of the jockey’s staunchest supporters during his many battles with racing authorities.

“I’m so happy for Pat,” Waranch said Sunday, after Valenzuela’s ride aboard Saint Afleet, a three-quarters of a length winner of the $150,000 Palos Verdes Handicap at Santa Anita. “He’s the best rider in the world. Contrary to a lot of thinking, he’s been clean [from drugs] since Dec. 26, 2000, and he’s been tested more than 200 times. What’s been done to him has been terribly unfair. He’s been the victim of a lot of prejudice.”

Waranch testified on behalf of Valenzuela during the jockey’s hearing before the California Horse Racing Board last year. Valenzuela’s latest run-ins with stewards, over drug testing, left him inactive from July 2 until Jan. 15. Saint Afleet was his fifth winner since returning.

“I’m happy that I can get Pat to ride more of my horses than he did before,” said trainer Jeff Mullins, who used Valenzuela to win the Palos Verdes as well as the race before the stake.

“He rides as hard for fifth place as he does for first, and that means a lot to me and my owners.”

Saint Afleet, a 4-year-old colt, paid $17.20 and gave Valenzuela his first stakes win since he rode Designed For Luck in the Shoemaker Mile at Hollywood Park on May 31.

“It was a tough race [Sunday],” Valenzuela said. “There were some old, tough veterans. My horse ran a hard race, and we got lucky to prevail.”

Hombre Rapido and Bluesthestandard finished second and third. Favored McCann’s Mojave finished last.

Valenzuela picked up another stakes mount when trainer Marcelo Polanco said that he would ride Island Fashion in next Sunday’s $250,000 Santa Monica Handicap.

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Laffit Pincay predicted that Russell Baze would break his record someday. Pincay retired in 2003 with 9,530 wins. Baze, 46, passed second-place Bill Shoemaker in the standings with his 8,834th win Saturday and added two wins Sunday at Golden Gate Fields.

“He’s definitely going to pass me,” Pincay said. “He’s a great rider, and he not only wants to break the record but takes care of himself. But I’m going to enjoy the record until he breaks it.”

Most of Baze’s wins have come at Golden Gate and Bay Meadows, Bay Area tracks considered to be a couple of cuts below Southern California racing.

“As far as Russell winning most of his races up there, it was always tough for me to win races wherever I went,” Pincay said. “To me, a record is a record no matter where you do it. It’s about winning races. It doesn’t matter where you do it.”

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Eclipse Award winners will be announced tonight at a dinner at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.