Doocy wins No. 5,000 - again

After a false start, jockey Tim Doocy officially picked up the 5,000th win of his career Sunday at Oaklawn Park when he guided Drinks To Go ($4) to victory in the seventh race for longtime patrons Cresran and trainer Steve Hobby. He became the 24th rider to reach the milestone.

Doocy initially hit 5,000 wins in the 11th race Saturday at Oaklawn, but on Sunday afternoon Oaklawn stewards issued a ruling stripping Coyotepass, a horse Doocy had ridden to victory on March 8, from that win because of a medication infraction. The ruling had not been appealed as of Sunday, stewards said, and Doocy's win count officially stood at 4,999 entering the card Sunday, said Equibase representative Jeff Taylor.

Doocy won the 11th race Saturday with Color Out ($24.60), and following the race was greeted in the winner's circle by his family, a number of trainers, and the Oaklawn jockey colony. He was presented with a cake, and then a pie in the face in an extended ceremony.

"It all worked out," Doocy, 53, said after riding Drinks To Go on Sunday. "Yesterday, to me, was the day it happened. That was 5,000. Everybody was celebrating and I was, so I'm just going by that day.

"It means a lot, you know, just having the longevity," he said of reaching the milestone. "It's just a number I never realized, until about last year, how many riders had gotten to. So, it means a lot. People have ridden me this long and stuck by me. It means a lot."

Doocy rode his first career winner in 1974 at the now-closed Commodore Downs in Erie, Pa. He has amassed more than $65 million in career mount earnings, among his most popular horses being retired millionaire sprinter Chindi. Doocy, a native of Minnesota who grew up in Iowa, now lives in Edmond, Okla., with his wife, Terry. The have one son, Trey.