Stevens: 'I've Got to Let My Actions Speak for Themselves'

 

It’s close to a year since Gary Stevens climaxed his comeback at the age of 50 after a seven-year hiatus and won the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic by a thrilling nose on Mucho Macho Man.

 

Now 51 and fully recovered from replacement surgery of his right knee on July 25, the unsinkable Stevens will return to his passion--race riding--when Santa Anita hosts the Breeders’ Cup World Championships next weekend, Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.

 

It will mark his first competitive action since July 6, when he rode at Monmouth Park, hard by the Jersey shore in Oceanside, N.J. Stevens, a 10-time Breeders’ Cup winner, rides Sivoliere for trainer Chad Brown in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf next Friday.

 

“I feel great,” Stevens said before sunup at Santa Anita Friday morning. “If I was hurting at all, I wouldn’t be attempting this right now. The knee feels great, but I’ve got to let my actions on the track speak for themselves.

 

“No matter what I say, I’ve got to go out and perform, and that’s the case. Every time I’ve had an injury throughout my career, and then after coming back after the long retirement, it seems like in this game you constantly have to keep proving yourself.

 

“That kind of applies from day to day. You’re only as good as your last ride. I’ve got to re-prove myself. The fortunate thing is I’ve got a lot of great people, great owners and trainers who have supported me over the years and continue to support me during my long comeback.

 

“The same guys are there for me right now, but I’ve got to show up for them.”

 

Source: Santa Anita Communications