Stevens Ends Riding Career
It was hardly a Hollywood ending, but Gary Stevens’ last ride wasn’t a bad one. The jockey announced his retirement on Friday, citing injuries and difficulty making weight as reasons for ending his successful riding career, in which he won 5,005 races and more than $220 million in purses. On Saturday, he finished second in his final race, aboard the Patrick Biancone-trained Louve Royale. Despite the loss, Stevens told the thousands of fans that gave him a standing ovation at Churchill Downs that he was leaving as “the happiest guy in the world“:
“I’ve absolutely loved what I’ve done for the past 27 years, but I’m not sad about leaving the saddle. I’m walking into a new chapter of my life, and I’m very excited about that.”
Stevens isn’t out of racing entirely. The Hall of Fame rider will begin working for TVG in January as an on-camera analyst.
