Laffit Pincay Jr. is at peace with himself.

He is at peace even though he is winning races at an interminably slow pace in pursuit of Bill Shoemaker�s career record of 8,833 wins.

He is at peace even though, at 50, whispers from some race track insiders say that age has eroded his gate skills, his prowess in handling young horses and his reaction time.

Whether or not Pincay is past his prime, resident expert Trevor Denman says the popular veteran still ranks with the best.

"If Laffit�s got detractors," says Denman, "believe me, he�s still better than maybe nine out of 10 jockeys out there. Every jockey might have a weak spot somewhere, and people might say Laffit is not what he was 20 years ago, but Laffit at 50 is still better than nine out of 10 of them."

Factor in that Pincay has no major barns to rely on, outside of maybe trainer Bill Spawr, and Spawr hasn�t been winning races in bunches lately.

When Corey Nakatani was suspended for 30 days, business was slow when he returned. But he still had father-in-law Wally Dollase and Jenine Sahadi providing their live horses, and he soon began winning. Pincay gets mainly remnants. And it doesn�t figure to get any easier.

Pincay is the world�s winningest active jockey and second only to Shoe. Pincay had 8,559 victories through Oct. 18. In 42,755 mounts, Pincay also had 6,937 seconds, 5,897 thirds and earnings of $196,454,204. But in 38 mounts at Santa Anita through Oct. 18, with the meet more than half over, he had yet to win a race. Pincay was 274 wins shy of Shoe�s mark, and at 100 victories per year, could come within hailing distance in the year 2000. But business will have to pick up. It�s the exception when Pincay has three or more mounts on a card, and some days, he has had only one.

Pincay won�t deny the negative comments. But he�s never been one to waste time on what other people think. He concentrates on the positive. That and Shoemaker�s record are what motivates him during these years of approaching Senior Citizenship.

"Sometimes it gets frustrating," said Pincay, on this day already in the Santa Anita jockeys� room, even though it was nearly three hours before his first ride. "It�s frustrating not to win races and not to ride good horses, but there�s nothing you can do. I�m very happy with my personal life and I just take it from there.

"I don�t understand why I don�t win more races. Sometimes I ride good horses and they don�t win. And then sometimes when I think things are going to be worse, I start winning races. So I�m very focused. I keep myself in good shape, which helps a lot, not only physically, but mentally. I keep busy by going to the gym and exercising. I keep thinking things are going to change for the better."

Of course, they won�t get better than they were in 1975, the year Pincay was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Cliff Sise Jr., now a successful trainer, remembers that era, when he was a riding contemporary of Pincay�s.

"Back then, I�d classify him as the greatest rider ever," said Sise. "I�ve seen him carry horses across the finish line that nobody else could. I remember when I would go home from the track at night to watch Pincay on the replay shows. When he was in his prime, there was nobody better than Laffit.

"He was the strongest rider I�ve ever seen. But we all lose our touch. It�s like an old horse. You lose a little bit of your touch. But he�s still a great rider. He�s better than Shoe was, I think. Shoemaker always rode better horses, but I�ve seen Laffit in his heyday win on horse�s he shouldn�t have. The best example was in the 1985 Jersey Derby, when he carried Spend A Buck home from the quarter pole. That was about the strongest ride I�ve ever seen."

No matter anyone�s perceived shortcomings of Pincay, he hopes his positive attitude will help his chances at Hollywood Park on Nov. 8 in the $1-million Breeders� Cup Sprint. Pincay is scheduled to ride a horse named Men�s Exclusive, a longshot who would have to be supplemented for $200,000, for owner Gene Reed and trainer Wesley Ward. Ward saddled Unfinished Symph to finish third as a 25-1 field horse in the 1994 Mile.

Ward, an Eclipse Award winner as the nation�s leading apprentice in 1984, has respect for Pincay as a rider and as a human being.

"He�s a genuine person," said Ward. "He�s someone you can work with, talk to and learn from, through his experience. You can depend on him and he can help you win races."

Pincay is the first to admit he would have packed it in long ago had he not been in pursuit of Shoe�s record.

"That�s what keeps me going," said Pincay, not only a model of consistency when it comes to his daily regimen, but a positive role model, as well. Pick any of the following adjectives -- classy, polite, patient, moderate, dedicated, admired, respected -- they all apply to Pincay.

How can anyone not have respect for a man who has maintained an incredulous daily intake of only 600 to 700 calories for two decades, just to keep his riding weight of 117 pounds?

Most of us inhale that many calories just waiting in line at McDonald�s.

"Even with the little I eat, I�m still eating better than I did in the past," said Pincay. "I try to eat a little bit after I get up in the morning, and a little bit around 10 a.m., and a little bit again before I start riding. I eat about five times a day. It always comes down to 600-700 calories. Usually, dinner is my big meal. I have about 250-300 calories then, consisting of grains, vegetables and a couple ounces of chicken."

For most, such a diet would border on starvation. For Pincay, it is simply dedication.

Just a few moments of eye-to-eye contact confirms that Pincay means what he says, does what he means to, and is unwavering in his conviction.

"I feel great," said the jockey who will be 51 on Dec. 26. "I�m in better shape than I�ve been in a long, long time. It just goes to show, even if you are at your very best, it doesn�t mean you�ll win races. Shoe�s record is what keeps me going. I probably would have retired had it not been for that.

"But I don�t know. I still like riding. I like to come to the jocks� room everyday and see the guys and have some fun. I still feel pretty good about riding every day."

And in life�s big picture, that�s really all that counts.

THE HOMESTRETCH: Schedule of 10 live races and post times for Breeders� Cup day at Hollywood Park on Nov. 8: Desert Stormer Handicap, 10 a.m.; Juvenile Fillies, 10:55 a.m.; Sprint, 11:30 a.m.; Distaff, 12:05 a.m.; Mile, 12:40 p.m.; Juvenile, 1:15 p.m.; Turf, 1:50 p.m.; Classic, 2:35 p.m.; Hollywood Prevue Stakes, 3:10 p.m.; and Steinlen Handicap, 3:45 p.m. . . . The stewards have suspended Patrick Valenzuela for failure to fulfill his riding agreements and for repeated offenses, and referred the case to the California Horse Racing Board, with the long overdue recommendation that he not be considered for relicensing. And just how did the Pat with Nine Lives react to his latest ban? Word we get is that the day the suspension was issued, Valenzuela showed up in the jocks� room, picked up a check, said hi to few folks, and denyingly went on his merry way. P.Val hit bottom two days later when on Friday morning when he was arrested by Arcadia police on suspicion of spousal abuse . . . Question from a teenage girl to her father in Santa Anita�s Vegas-style John Henry Room: "Was John Henry a famous rider?" . . . Sudden thought: Bob Baffert is so entertaining, he should charge cover and minimum.