Hall Of Fame Jockey Retires

At an age when most athletes have long since retired, Laffit Pincay Jr. was perched in a saddle outriding jockeys young enough to be his grandsons.

"He wanted to ride at least two more years and he thought by then he would have ridden 10,000 winners," said Neil Papiano, Pincay's close friend and attorney. "It might have been much more."

What might have been will not be.

The 56-year-old Hall of Famer ended his career with a record 9,530 races, retiring Tuesday nearly two months after breaking his neck in a spill.

"The doctor recommended that I never ride again," Pincay said. "It's a very sad day for myself and Jeanine. But we always prepared ourselves for the worst... I am very grateful to a lot of people who helped me throughout my career and I want to thank the fans for all the cards and well wishes. And I want to thank all my friends for their support."

Pincay was severely injured in a turf race March 1 when another horse, ultimately disqualified, swung wide into the stretch, knocked him off his mount and rolled on him.

At the time, the injury didn't appear serious and Pincay was treated at Santa Anita and released. When the pain persisted, he was examined by doctors, who found two breaks in the same bone in his neck.

However, doctors advised Pincay that his spine was not sufficiently stable to allow him to ride, said Hollywood Park spokesman Mike Mooney, who announced Pincay's decision.

The doctors' recommendation to end his 39-year career wasn't surprising, but Pincay's decision was met with sadness.

Pincay was supposed to be in Louisville for Saturday's Kentucky Derby to ride Indian Express for trainer Bob Baffert. The injury changed those plans. The ride subsequently went to 20-year-old Tyler Baze, in his first Derby mount.

"I know that if I win the Kentucky Derby on Saturday it's because of Laffit. He's the one that told me to buy that horse," said Baffert, who is Pincay's neighbor in Arcadia, Calif.

"He's a friend and when he got hurt it was really tough. But I think he'll be a great ambassador for racing. He's a great athlete, and an icon of the sport."

Pincay's career includes election to racing's Hall of Fame in 1975, a 1984 Kentucky Derby victory, three Belmont Stakes victories, five Eclipse Awards, and mounts on great horses such as Affirmed and John Henry.

Pincay was second in the Santa Anita jockeys' standings with 52 victories when he got hurt. He was winning at better than a 21 percent clip - highest among the track's riders.

One of his rivals was Hall of Famer Gary Stevens, who called Pincay's retirement "the end of an era."

"He's the class of the class," Stevens said from Louisville, where he will ride in the Derby.

Pincay became racing's winningest rider on Dec. 10, 1999, aboard Irish Nip at Hollywood Park. His 8,834th win was one more than the record set by Bill Shoemaker.

"I'm glad to hear that he retired. I wouldn't want to see him jeopardize his health trying to break more records," Shoemaker said by phone from his California home.

"He was a great rider, as good as there is. He did a lot more than anybody else ever did in our profession. He had nothing to prove now. He can go on and find out that there's a lot more to life than riding races."

Pincay's pursuit of Shoemaker's record during a 10-day period in 1999 boosted attendance and wagering at Hollywood Park.

"We could be here all day and all night talking about what he did for racing, especially when he was going for all those records," said jockey Mike Smith, who was elected to the Hall of Fame on Tuesday. "The game really needed something like that. People started really paying attention to it."

The son of a famous rider in Panama and Venezuela, Pincay came to the United States at 17, speaking only Spanish and carrying a $500-a-month riding contract. He taught himself English by watching "Hollywood Squares" on TV.

He reached the winner's circle on his first U.S. mount, in 1966 at Chicago's Arlington Park.

What was most exceptional about Pincay's longevity was his ability to control his weight.

He battled the scale since he was a teenager. Back then, he was told he was too big to be a jockey. He weighs 113 pounds and rode at 117 pounds, which included his saddle and tack.

Pincay's final injury was one of many in his career. He broke his collarbone 11 times, broke 10 ribs, had two spinal fractures, two punctured lungs, two broken thumbs and a sprained ankle.

Pincay won the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes in 1984 aboard Swale. He also won the Belmont in 1982 with Conquistador Cielo and in '83 with Caveat.

By Beth Harris