Gary L. Stevens

Horseracing personalities infobox
name = Gary L. Stevens


caption =
occupation = Jockey
birthplace = Caldwell, Idaho, United States
birth date = March 6, 1963
death date =
career wins = 4888
race = Breeders' Cup Turf (1990)
Breeders' Cup Juvenile (1993, 1999)
Breeders' Cup Distaff (1994, 1998)
Breeders' Cup Mile (1996, 2000)
Native Diver Handicap (1996)
Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (1998)
Kentucky Oaks (1986, 1999)
Kentucky Derby (1988, 1995, 1997)
Preakness Stakes (1997, 2001)
Belmont Stakes (1995, 1998, 2001)
Santa Anita Derby
(1988, 1990, 1993-1995, 1998-1999, 2001, 2003)
Santa Anita Handicap (1990, 1991, 1995, 2005)
Arlington Million (1990, 1997)
Pacific Classic Stakes (1993, 1997)
Del Mar Debutante Stakes (1987, 1998, 1992, 2002)
Eddie Read Handicap (1985, 1995)
Jockey Club Gold Cup (1992)
Wood Memorial Stakes (1994)
Travers Stakes (1995, 2001)
Baldwin Stakes (2003)

International race wins:
Japan Cup (1991)
Canadian International Stakes (1996, 1998)
Hardwicke Stakes (1997)
Dubai World Cup (1998)
International Stakes (1999)
Great Voltigeur Stakes (1999)
Dubai Sheema Classic (2004)
Prix Maurice de Gheest (2004)
awards = George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award (1996)
Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey (1998)
Mike Venezia Memorial Award (1999)
honours = United States Racing Hall of Fame (1998)
horses = Da Hoss, Winning Colors, Thunder Gulch, Singspiel
Silver Charm, Victory Gallop, Bertrando, Silverbulletday, Point Given, Royal Anthem
Fantastic Light, Rock Hard Ten, Serena's Song, Commentator
updated = March 23, 2007

Gary Lynn Stevens (born March 6, 1963 in Caldwell, Idaho) is an American thoroughbred horse racing jockey.

Although forced to wear a hip brace for nineteen months due to a degenerative disease of the hip, Perthes syndrome, at age 7, Stevens began working for his horse trainer father, Ron, as a groom at age 8. By the time he was 14, he was riding American Quarter Horses.

Stevens dropped out of high school, after an all-star wrestling season, to become a full-time jockey. He began his career in 1979 at Les Bois Park in Boise, Idaho, and in his first start had a winner thoroughbred. From there he soon became a leading rider in Washington. He then moved down the coast into California, becoming part of the leading competitive jockey groups there.

In 1993, Gary Stevens became the youngest jockey to surpass $100 million in earnings.

Stevens has been in the winner's circle at the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes three times, and twice at the Preakness Stakes. He won the Santa Anita Derby a record nine times, and he's won eight Breeders' Cup races, making him the fourth-leading money winner in Breeders' Cup history so far. His mounts have collected over $221 million with 4,888 winners.

Awards

Gary Stevens won numerous awards and prizes in the horse racing industry including the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award in 1996 that honors a rider whose career and personal conduct exemplifies the very best example of participants in the sport of thoroughbred racing. He had some acting ability and was chosen to play Woolf (1910-1946) in the 2003 movie "Seabiscuit" where he met his wife, Angie. In 1999, he was voted the Mike Venezia Memorial Award for "extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship".

In 1997, Stevens entered the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. In 1998, he was voted the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey in the United States.

The Perfect Ride

In 2002, Gary wrote a book about his life called "The Perfect Ride". Hall of Fame sportscaster Jack Whitaker had this to say about Stevens' book: "A Perfect Ride is a great read, not only for horse racing fans, but for anyone interested in how the American dream really works."

Retirement

On November 27, 2005, Stevens announced his retirement. That day at Churchill Downs, he finished second aboard a 4-year-old mare named Louve Royale in his final race as a jockey. [ [http://newsfromrussia.com/sport/2005/11/27/68573.html Gary Stevens finished second in last race - Pravda.Ru ] ] A week after his favorite horse, Rock Hard Ten, called it quits due to a foot injury, the jockey of 27 years started working in January 2006 as a racing analyst with TVG. James Risch, Governor of Idaho, proclaimed the week of July 10th, 2006, to be Gary Stevens Week [ [http://gov.idaho.gov/mediacenter/proc/proc06/procjuly/proc_garystevens.html Governor James E. Risch - The State of Idaho Proclamation Gary Stevens Week ] ] . In March 2007, Stevens became the jockey agent for Corey Nakatani. Gary started a new job as a racing commentator for HRTV on January 1, 2008. [cite news | last = Gantz | first = Tracy | coauthors = | title = Nakatani Says Stevens to Become His Agent

work = | pages = | language = | publisher = The BloodHorse | date = 2007-03-19 | url = http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061012/NEWS02/610120397/-1/WEBHEAD02 | accessdate = 2007-03-19]

References

*Stevens, Gary with Kaufman, Mervyn, Shoemaker, Bill (forward) "The Perfect Ride" (2002) Citadel ISBN 0-8065-2361-1
*Del Mar Media Guide

External links

* [http://www.garystevens.com/ Gary Stevens official website]
* [http://www.racingmuseum.org/hall/jockey.asp?ID=224 Profile at National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame]
* [http://www.ntra.com/stats_bios.aspx?id=1796 NTRA bio]
*imdb name|id=1230841|name=Gary Stevens