Gary Stevens

Veteran jockey Scott Stevens, one of only 35 riders in history to win in excess of 5,000 races, has announced his retirement after beining involved in a Feb. 24 spill at Turf Paradise. Stevens, 60, is the older brother of Hall of Fame rider Gary Stevens. "He had an unbelievable career and he is my hero," Gary Stevens wrote on Twitter. Stevens went down in a turf race after another horse came over on him shortly after the start. He broke two vertebrae and his ribs as a result of...

Several major shifts in riding assignments were underway Friday morning after Umberto Rispoli and John Velazquez were not allowed to fly to Saudi Arabia due to a mixup in flight arrangements Wednesday and problems with COVID-19 restrictions Thursday. Ron Anderson, the agent for Velazquez and Rosario, said that Mickael Barzalona would ride Max Player (Honor Code), that William Buick would be aboard Tacitus (Tapit) in the Saudi Cup, and that Joel Rosario would ride New York Central (Tapit) in defense of his title in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint. In the...

FS1 will carry Saturday's $20-million Saudi Cup, featuring a clash between GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. winner Knicks Go (Paynter) and 'TDN Rising Star' and GI Runhappy Malibu S. hero Charlatan (Speightstown), during a live one-hour broadcast from 12-1 p.m. ET. The undercard races, with the exception of the Neom Turf Cup, will be shown live on FS2 from 8:30 a.m. ET to noon ET. A live internet feed will be available here. The 'Golden Hour' telecast will be hosted on site by...

Dual graded stakes winner Giant Expectations (Frost Giant--Sarahisittrue, by Is It True) has been retired from racing and will stand the upcoming breeding season at a location still to be determined pending sale of the horse either privately or at auction. Giant Expectations was trained by Eurton for Exline-Border Racing, David Bernsen, Gatto Racing, and partners, who issued a release: "The current ownership group and management unanimously elected to retire Giant Expectations in the best interests of the horse, and are excited to follow his next career as a stallion."...

Saratoga Live, the critically-acclaimed and award-winning television program will kick off its fifth season Thursday broadcasting the 40-day summer meet at iconic Saratoga Race Course. Saratoga Live will feature more than 210 hours of live programming from Saratoga, which runs from Thursday, July 16 through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7. Saratoga Live will appear each racing day beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern on FOX Sports and MSG Networks and offer full-card coverage of a Saratoga meet offering 71 stakes worth $14.45 million, encompassing 39 graded stakes, 18 Grade Is and...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The countdown to next year's inaugural Saudi Cup officially began Wednesday evening with a gala organized by the race's officials in the walking ring at the Fasig-Tipton sales grounds in Saratoga. The race, scheduled to be run next Feb. 29 at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, will be run over 1800 meters of the dirt track and will be worth $20 million--making it the world's richest race. The field will have a maximum of 14 runners, with $10 million going to the winner. Hosted by television...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. will welcome a dozen of the sport's top jockeys back to Saratoga Race Course for the sixth annual Jockey Legends Day, presented by Fasig-Tipton, Sunday, August 4. Top riders scheduled to attend include Angel Cordero, Jr., Robbie Davis, Ramon Dominguez, David Erb, Earlie Fires, Sandy Hawley, Richard Migliore, Laffit Pincay, Jr., Nick Santagata, Jose Santos, Gary Stevens and Jorge Velasquez. The riders will be honored with a special video tribute and ceremony in the winner's circle following races four, five and six. The legendary...