Tuesday, April 17, 2001 | 10:24 a.m.
The Southern California racing circuit will move from Arcadia to Inglewood for the next session on the Golden State's calendar. Hollywood Park will open it's 66-day spring/summer meet on Friday with a special night program that will begin at 7:15.
Trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. earned top honors in their respective categories while 2000 Horse of the Year Tiznow claimed Horse of the Meet honors with his outstanding five-length victory in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap.
Tiznow overcame nagging foot ailments to take the 'Big 'Cap' after a runner-up effort in the Strub Stakes to turn the tables on Strub winner Wooden Phone. He also garnered the San Fernando Breeders' Cup Stakes on the way to also taking Older Horse of the Meet. The popular California-bred will now prepare for his return to the races and has the July 1 Hollywood Gold Cup as his main summer goal on the way to a possible defense of the Breeders' Cup Classic this fall at Belmont Park.
Tiznow narrowly beat sophomore sensation Point Given for the meet's top honor. But the Kentucky Derby pre-race favorite earned that spot with two resounding victories during the meet that culminated with a romping victory in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby. The Bob Baffert trainee was a unanimous selection for 3-year-old of the meet as he carries the West coast banner to Louisville on Wednesday for a Kentucky Derby try.
Baffert won his fifth straight Santa Anita winter/spring title -- the first trainer in nearly five decades to attain that feat -- with 44 wins, almost 20 victories more than the runner-up. Bill Spawr checked in with 26 wins for second, which was one better than third-place finisher John Sadler with 25. Trainer Richard Mandella finished fourth with 22 victories while Jack Carava rounded out the top five with 19 scores.
The most heartwarming achievement was won by Pincay, who at age 54, took the riding title with 73 victories over 18-year-old upstart Tyler Baze. Last year's Eclipse Award-winning apprentice checked in 10 victories behind Pincay and five better than No. 3 Victor Espinoza, who won 58 races during the season. Alex Solis finished fourth with 53 winners while David Flores checked in fifth with 51 wins. The Arcadia riding championship was the first winter/spring title since the 1988-89 meet for Pincay, who now stands at 9,116 lifetime victories as the world's winningest jockey. The 'living legend' also came away with a solid Derby mount during the meeting -- although he had to leave town to win the Blue Grass Stakes to do it -- and will ride Millennium Wind in the run for the roses on the first Saturday in May.
The percentage of winning favorites during the stand was 35.6 from the 250 races run during the Dec. 26-April 16 stretch.
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