Álvaro Pineda

Álvaro Pineda (November 9, 1945 – January 18, 1975) was a Mexican jockey who competed in thoroughbred horse racing in the United States.[1] A top jockey in California, in 1966 Álvaro Pineda finished second in wins at Del Mar Racetrack to Donald Pierce then was the track's leading rider in 1968. He made one appearance in the Kentucky Derby, finishing 13th in 1967. Pineda's best mount may have been the Argentina-bred colt Figonero which he rode to victory in the Hollywood Gold Cup and to a new world record for nine furlongs in the Del Mar Handicap.

Álvaro Pineda
OccupationJockey
Born(1945-11-09)November 9, 1945
Mexico
DiedJanuary 18, 1975(1975-01-18) (aged 29)
Career wins2,731
Major racing wins
Del Mar Oaks (1966, 1967, 1969)
San Gabriel Handicap (1966)
Frank E. Kilroe Mile (1967)
San Juan Capistrano Handicap (1967, 1968)
El Encino Stakes (1968)
Del Mar Handicap (1969)
Hollywood Gold Cup (1969)
Arlington-Washington Breeders' Cup Lassie (1973)
Del Mar Derby (1974)
Malibu Stakes (1975)
Racing awards
Leading rider at Del Mar Racetrack (1968)
George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award (1974)
Honors
Handicap Alvaro Pineda - Hipódromo de Las Américas
Significant horses
Figonero

In 1974, Álvaro Pineda's peers voted him the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award, awarded annually to a jockey in American racing who demonstrates high standards of personal and professional conduct, on and off the racetrack.

In early 1975, while competing at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California, Álvaro Pineda was killed in a freak accident from a blow to his head when his horse, Austin Mittler, reared in the starting gate and flipped over, crushing his head against the steel frame of the gate. His family would suffer a similar loss just three years later when his younger brother Roberto, a jockey competing at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland, died from an accident during a race on May 3, 1978. He is survived by his wife Donna, Son Matthew and Daughter Charlene.

Álvaro and his brother Roberto are buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Glendale Los Angeles County California in plot: Garden of Honor, Lot 6820-1.

References
  1. Pesar por la muerte de José Alférez - Hipódromo www.oem.com.mx/esto/notas/n619526.htm - 7 Mar 2008 "Un talento comparable solamente con los más grandes jinetes mexicanos como Álvaro Pineda o Víctor Espinosa, "


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