Gary Stevens

2001 Horse of the Year and winner of both the GI Preakness S. and the GI Belmont S., Point Given (Thunder Gulch), passed away Sept. 11 at 25 years old. In 2017, the champion Thoroughbred became a resident of the Kentucky Horse Park's Hall of Champions, making him the fifth Horse of the Year to occupy the famous barn. "Point Given was a special horse, loved by all, and a wonderful ambassador for the Kentucky Horse Park," said Kentucky Horse Park President Lee Carter. "We are saddened by his passing...

T.C. Stevens, son of Hall of Fame Jockey Gary Stevens, will ride his first race as a professional jockey at Fair Grounds March 19 for trainer Steve Asmussen. T.C. has been named on Motown Missile (Mo Town) in the race six. A regular exercise rider for trainer Brad Cox, T.C. has morning rides on Instant Coffee (Bolt d'Oro), Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}), Zozos (Munnings), Strobe (Into Mischief), and Tapit's Conquest (Tapit). "I am very grateful to Mr. Asmussen and his staff for giving me this opportunity," stated Stevens. "I've...

After a two-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Santa Anita's 53rd annual Charity Basketball Game versus Holy Angels Middle School will return to La Salle High School in Pasadena Thursday, Feb. 16. A distinguished group of Hall of Fame Jockeys will be on-hand beginning at 6:30 p.m. to sign posters and other memorabilia in the La Salle gym. Retired legends Laffit Pincay, Jr. and Gary Stevens will be available, as well as active Hall of Famers Kent Desormeaux, Victor Espinoza, Mike Smith and John Velazquez. Admission to the game...

Jockey Julien Leparoux as the winner of the 2022 Mike Venezia Memorial Award, NYRA announced Friday. He was chosen by a committee comprised of members of the Venezia family, representatives of The Jockeys' Guild and retired Eclipse Award-winning jockey Richard Migliore. Leparoux will be recognized in a winner's circle ceremony at Saratoga Aug. 12. The Mike Venezia Memorial Award is presented annually to a jockey who displays the extraordinary sportsmanship and citizenship that personified Venezia, who died as the result of injuries suffered in a spill in 1988. Venezia, a...

The National Museum of Racing will induct the 2022 Hall of Fame class Friday, Aug. 5 at Fasig-Tipton. The event is slated to begin at 10:30 a.m. Tom Durkin will serve as the master of ceremonies. The event is open to the public and free to attend. The ceremony will also be broadcast live on the Museum website at racingmuseum.org. A stellar class of inductees comprises the 2022 ceremony, namely four-time Eclipse Award winner Beholder (Henny Hughes); Hillsdale (Take Away), who is also the first Indiana-bred in the Hall of...

Jockeys and Jeans, a group founded by former jockeys to raise funds for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund, will hold their eighth annual fundraising event at Churchill Downs July 2. The popular event will take place on the final day of Churchill Downs's Spring Meet and include a day of live racing featuring the GII Stephen Foster S. The event has been scheduled to take place at Churchill Downs since 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic until 2022. In a show of support and recognition that the...

The racing action from Churchill Downs Racetrack throughout the 2022 Spring Meet will be broadcast on FOX Sports' "America's Day at the Races," which will air every race day on either FS1 or FS2. The Kentucky Oaks and Derby cards will be shown on tape delay. Produced by the New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) in partnership with FOX Sports, "America's Day at the Races" is hosted by Greg Wolf with a team of handicappers and racing analysts that includes Paul LoDuca, Andy Serling, Maggie Wolfendale, Acacia Courtney, Richard Migliore,...

Ever-popular retired Hall of Fame jockey and current television analyst for Fox Sports and the New York Racing Association Gary Stevens joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Tuesday afternoon for an expansive discussion on an array of racing topics and issues. Sitting down with Joe Bianca and Bill Finley as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Stevens gave a huge personal endorsement to star 3-year-old filly Secret Oath (Arrogate) as she prepares to take on males, analyzed the shuffling of the California jockey colony, talked about his...

Ever-popular retired Hall of Fame jockey and current television analyst for Fox Sports and the New York Racing Association Gary Stevens joined the TDN Writers' Room presented by Keeneland Tuesday afternoon for an expansive discussion on an array of racing topics and issues. Sitting down with Joe Bianca and Bill Finley as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Stevens gave a huge personal endorsement to star 3-year-old filly Secret Oath (Arrogate) as she prepares to take on males, analyzed the shuffling of the California jockey colony, talked about his...

Popcorn Deelites, one of several Thoroughbreds used to portray the legendary Seabiscuit in the 2003 Oscar-nominated film, passed away from complications of colic at the age of 24 at Old Friends Retirement Farm in Georgetown, Kentucky. The son of Afternoon Deelites had a modest racing career, mostly in claiming contests, and had resided alongside his sire at Old Friends since 2005. 'Pops', who bore a strong resemblance to Seabiscuit, appeared in several scenes in the film, including the match race against Triple Crown winner War Admiral. He returned to training...

Hall of Fame jockeys, TVG's on-air talent and other prominent racing personalities will once again take to the phones Sunday, Oct. 17 as TVG and The Jockeys Guild host the third annual telethon to raise money for the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF). The event, canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, raised $330,000 in 2019, an increase of more than $100,000 over the inaugural event in 2018. Fan favorite jockeys of today and years past will be on hand live at call centers in California and Kentucky from 12:00...

Several horse racing professionals in the U.S. have given their support to a U.S. House amendment that would ban the transport of American slaughter-bound horses across state lines and over the borders for butchering abroad. Led by U.S. Representatives, Troy Carter (D-LA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), and John Katko (R-NY), the amendment will be offered to the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation in America (INVEST) Act, H.R.3684, which is slated to be on the House floor in the next few weeks. Last month, the Save...