Pincay Says Baze Worthy of Record Book

(from Santa Anita notes)
Laffit Pincay Jr., the all-time leader in victories by a jockey, discounts complaints from some that fellow Hall of Fame rider Russell Baze is undeserving of the record if he breaks it because Baze mostly competes on the Northern California circuit.

"As far as Russell winning most of his races up north, it was always tough for me to win races wherever I went," Pincay said Sunday. "To me, a record is a record no matter where you do it. It's about winning races. It doesn't matter where you do it. Winning races is what counts."

Baze, 46, passed Bill Shoemaker Saturday to move into second place on the all-time list, with his 8,834th winner at Golden Gate Fields. He trails Pincay, who won 9,530 races, by 696.

Pincay said he fully expects Baze to break his record and has no reservations about it.

"He's definitely going to pass me," Pincay said during a visit to Santa Anita's Clockers' Corner. "Russell is a great rider and he not only wants to break the record but he takes care of himself.

"But I'm going to enjoy my record until he breaks it. I'm pretty sure that when he does it he's going to enjoy it, too. To me, having a record like this is great."