Do not be surprised if the biggest cheer emanating from the winner’s circle at Santa Anita on Thursday is for a man and not a racehorse.
For the first time, a race has been named in honor of retired Hall of Fame jockey Laffit Pincay Jr.
Santa Anita made the announcement earlier this month in conjunction with the details of its stakes program for the winter-spring meeting that begins Thursday and continues through June 15.
The Grade 2 Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes will be run at 1 1/16 miles on the main track. The $200,000 race was previously known as the San Antonio Stakes.
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“I think it’s very special to have a race named after you,” Pincay said over the weekend. “I think it’s great. I really appreciate it.”
Pincay joins the late Bill Shoemaker and fellow retired Hall of Famer Eddie Delahoussaye as legendary riders with stakes named in their honor.
The Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile is run at a mile on turf on Memorial Day weekend. The Grade 2 Eddie D Stakes is run on the hillside turf course at Santa Anita in late September. This year, the Eddie D Stakes had a record purse of $750,000.
Pincay, who turns 78 on Dec. 29, won 9,530 races, including a track-record 2,860 at Santa Anita. In December 1999, Pincay broke Shoemaker’s then record for most wins by a jockey, with 8,833.
Pincay is part of the Santa Anita record book in many categories, some that will be very difficult to surpass. He holds the single-meeting record for wins, 138 during the 75-day winter-spring season in 1970-71.
In 1987, Pincay won seven races on a nine-race program. On 15 occasions since 1962, riders have won six races in a day, including Pincay twice. Pincay holds the mark for five stakes wins in a day, on the California Cup program in 2000.
Pincay rode from 1966 to 2003 and was second in the standings at the 2002-03 meeting at Santa Anita when he sustained a neck injury that led to his retirement.
On his occasional trips to Santa Anita, not far from his home in San Gabriel, Pincay is typically surrounded by well-wishers and autograph seekers, many of a certain age.
Recently, Pincay has traveled to his native Panama, and El Salvador, with his longtime girlfriend Edith. In January, he is bound for Florida in conjunction with a charity event for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund.
“Every time I go to these events, I have a good time and we get to help the disabled jockeys,” he said.
“We enjoy ourselves. I see the guys I haven’t seen in a while. We take a lot of pictures. It’s a good contribution.”
On Thursday’s opening day, Pincay will be an esteemed spectator, but one who recalls the buzz and anticipation of opening day.
“I remember when I was riding,” he said. “The first day was so exciting. You’re anxious to win your first race.
“It will be very nice. It will be nice to see a lot of people at the track.”
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