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Two to go Pincay Jr. wins one race to pull closer to Shoemaker
Posted: Wednesday December 08, 1999 10:54 PM
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) -- Laffit Pincay Jr. inched closer to Bill Shoemaker's record of 8,833 victories Wednesday, riding one winner in six mounts at Hollywood Park to move within one of tying the 29-year-old mark. "I don't have any pressure," he said. "I'm riding with a lot of confidence." Pincay lost his first three races before guiding Millie's Quest from last to first in the sixth. Making her U.S. debut, the 2-year-old paid $6.20, $2.80 and $2.20 after being sent off at 2-1 odds. Millie's Quest broke last out of the gate and trailed her six rivals much of the way. The crowd roared as Pincay found a hole and plunged through in the stretch to collar Arta and win by a half-length. She covered 1 1-16 miles on the turf in 1:42 3-5. "I was surprised when she didn't break and was last," he said. "I said, `Oh God, here we go again.' " Pincay Jr. now has a total of 8,832 victories with four scheduled mounts Thursday. Confined to a wheelchair since a 1991 car accident, Shoemaker kept watch from the stands. He's been a daily visitor as his old friend chips away at the record Shoemaker set in 1970. "He told me it took him about eight days to do it," Pincay said. "He thinks I'm going to make him come over here for a long time. He's worried about that." Pincay's eldest son, Laffit III, celebrated his 24th birthday Wednesday, taking the day off from his job as a sportscaster in New York in anticipation of seeing his father make racing history. He can only stay through Thursday's races before he's due back at work. "It's been pretty stressful the last few days," the younger Pincay said. "Inevitably, it's going to come." Laffit III was a 9-year-old watching cartoons the day his father won the Kentucky Derby aboard Swale in 1984. "When I got older I started to appreciate what he was doing," he said. "He does everything now with his tank between empty and half-full. He's starving and he's twice the age of these guys. His dedication and what he's doing now is unbelievable." Pincay has battled weight throughout his 35-year career. He's able to ride at 117 pounds only by adhering to a strict 850-calorie daily diet. "He's got more constitution than anybody," trainer Van Berg said. "He's had weight problems all his life, but he's so well-muscled and there's no fat to him. He's a perfect specimen and a gentleman." Pincay rode his first winner on May 19, 1964, aboard Huelen at Presidente Remon race track in his native Panama. That same year, Shoemaker rode his 5,000th winner. Breaking the record would be the crown jewel of Pincay's career, which includes election to racing's Hall of Fame, a record five Eclipse Awards as the nation's top jockey and mounts on some of the sport's greatest horses, including Affirmed.
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