Columnist Ralph Siraco: One year after record breaker, Pincay earns anniversary win

Ralph Siraco

Monday, Dec. 11, 2000 | 10:06 a.m.

Ralph Siraco's horse racing column appears Monday, and his Southern California selections run Tuesday through Friday. Reach him c/o Las Vegas Sun, 800 S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89107.

On Dec. 10, 1999, jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr., spent the early part of his day mingling with racing fans and signing autographs before fulfilling his riding engagements on the afternoon racing program at Hollywood Park.

In the sixth race, a 1 1/16-mile turf event, Pincay scaled a 3-year-old son of Irish River by the name of Irish Nip. Pincay, then a 52-year-old ageless wonder, promptly guided his equine partner to a victory from his rail post.

Irish Nip will be forever remembered as "The Horse" that Pincay rode when he broke Bill Shoemaker's all-time win record of 8,833 victories. The Richard Mandella-trained runner gave Pincay career victory number 8, 834 on that fall afternoon, and Pincay hasn't looked back since.

On Sunday, Dec. 10, 2000, Laffit Pincay, Jr., spent the early part of his day mingling with his fans and signing autographs.

Some things never change -- and fewer people do.

It seemed just yesterday that Y2K mania was at a fever pitch, and that Pincay was on the verge of history.

As it turned out, Pincay's world record would be the last major sports achievement of the century.

It wasn't long before Pincay's date with destiny that the rider was thinking -- if just for a fleeting moment -- of retirement. But the Panamanian native was so close to his best friend's record that he entertained the idea of leaving the tough Southern California racing circuit for a stay in the Great Northwest to chase history. For a while, during the mid-90s, Pincay's victories came as slowly as recounted Gore votes chipping away at a Bush lead.

Although no one would have blamed Pincay for leaving for easier pastures while chasing and finally securing the world's record, a certain tarnish would have tinged an otherwise incomparable career.

After lengthy deliberations, Pincay stayed on the circuit where he had gained prominence over decades while competing against the best in the sport.

As the record came closer, so did the choice mounts -- and so, it seemed, did a renewed Pincay desire to win.

It became apparent through the 1999 Del Mar season that Pincay, who was racking up winners as quickly as those half his age, was on course to break the record before the end of the century.

As the autumn Oak Tree at Santa Anita meeting ended, the Pincay pace had an ETA of late December. It did not go unnoticed that Laffit had a birthday in December -- Dec. 29 to be exact.

Pincay, however, rewrote the Hollywood script when his victories came in multiples and even more quickly. The record would eventually fall Dec. 10, 1999, at approximately 3:10 p.m. Pacific time.

The Hollywood script was again rewritten for the one-year anniversary with just a week to show time.

On Sunday, Nov. 26, Pincay was disqualified from a victory in the Hollywood Derby while astride Designed For Luck. Under a left-handed whip and in the heat of competition, Pincay let his equine partner drift off course to impede another horse. As a result, Designed For Luck, at odds of better than 50-1, was placed out of the money. The following week Pincay was handed a suspension for the incident.

That forced five-day vacation kept Pincay on the bench through Sunday -- the one-year anniversary of the his world record.

Under California racing rules, a rider can compete in certain designated races during his suspension, but those races are restricted to Graded stakes events. So on Sunday, Pincay had just one mount to celebrate his anniversary. That ride came in the featured Grade III Vernon Underwood stakes.

Pincay scaled a relative outsider named Men's Exclusive with a morning line of 10-1. The Hall of Famer had ridden the 7-year-old gelding many times before and they had a pair of victories to their credit.

The betting public was not fooled. Pincay, who had rolled past career win No. 9,000 at Oak Tree this year, gave Men's Exclusive a great ride and came bounding home -- on cue -- by daylight at $16.40 to win.

Laffit Pincay, Jr. had won the only race he could ride on the one-year anniversary of his world record mark. For this legend in his own time, one was enough, but if history tells us anything, it will not be his last.

Just for the record, however, it was Pincay's Hollywood Park stakes win number 270 and career win No. 9,029.

And counting.