For much of his career, Pincay subsisted on a daily intake of 650 calories, about half of what the average person consumes. Three years ago, feeling old and weary and in the midst of an extended slump, he changed his eating habits and revived his career. I started eating fruit, which I hadn't done since I was a kid, and I started feeling better and stronger and started riding better. His current regimen might tax the inner strength of a Zen master. He stretches, jogs and works on a StairMaster, then it's off to the track.
Dinner is chicken or fish, with salad, vegetables and maybe a piece of bread.
I haven't had a piece of pie since I was 15 years old. I just never let myself go. I'd have to quit if I did that. That day is not that far down the road, and this could be Pincay's last chance to win another Derby. There were times I could have gone, but I stayed in California because I didn't think I'd have a good chance to win.