Pincay, Laffit Jr.
Horse Racing
b. Dec. 29, 1946, Panama City, Panama
The winningest jockey of all time, Pincay began riding in his native Panama and came to the United States in 1966. He won his very first American race at Chicago's Arlington Park and also rode winners in seven of his next ten races.
He was the nation's leading money winner from 1970 through 1974, in 1979, and in 1985, and he won Eclipse Awards as the top jockey of the year in 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, and 1985. In 1985, he became the first jockey to earn more than $13 million in a year.
Pincay rode his 8,834th winner, breaking Bill Shoemaker's career record, on Dec. 10, 1999, aboard Irish Nip at Hollywood Park.
It didn't come easily. Pincay has fought weight problems through most of his career. In 1974, he collapsed in the jockeys' room at Aqueduct Park, partly because he'd been taking diet pills to keep his weight down. Pincay then began supplementing his diet with vitamins and minerals.
Pincay won the Kentucky Derby aboard Swale in 1984 and he rode the Belmont Stakes winner three years in a row, Conquistador Cielo in 1982, Caveat in 1983, and Swale in 1984.
In 51 Breeders' Cup starts, Pincay has 6 victories, 4 seconds, and 9 third-place finishes for total winnings of $6,235,000. He's tied for the lead in victories and stands third in winnings.
His Breeders' Cup winners were juveniles Tasso in 1985, Capote in 1986, and Is it True in 1988; distaff champion Bayakoo in 1989 and 1990; and classic champion Skywalker in 1986.
At the age of 57, Pincay is still riding. He rode his 9,000th winner on Oct. 28, 2000, when he won five of 10 California Cup races, and he's now closing in on the 10,000 mark.
Pincay was given a special Eclipse Award in 1999 to recognize his career accomplishments. That made him the only person ever to receive six Eclipse Awards.