Scott Stevens Reaches 5,000-Win Milestone

Scott Stevens is now officially the 35th jockey to ride 5,000 winners in North America, according to Equibase records.

The veteran rider, 59, the older brother of retired Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, was honored for the milestone March 9 in a winner's circle presentation at Turf Paradise in Phoenix after guiding Royal Privacy to victory in the fourth race for trainer Sandi Gann and owner North American Thoroughbred Racing.  

At that time, Equibase considered the victory to be his 4,999th, though that changed March 12 when the official database company for the racing industry announced via email that "a disqualification was entered on March 11 from a race at Turf Paradise in which the winner was disqualified, giving Stevens (who rode the second-placed horse) the recorded win." Post-race tests from horses that lead to disqualifications can cause a rider's record to fluctuate.

Stevens began his career in 1976, riding underage as a 15-year-old at Les Bois Park in Boise, Idaho. He became a top jockey elsewhere, in recent years plying his trade at Turf Paradise during the winter months and Canterbury Park in Shakopee, Minn., in the summer.

"It's something I didn't think would happen, but it's pretty cool, a pretty cool deal," he said of the milestone. "I've been very fortunate to do what I love and to last this long. I'm very blessed, for sure."

A record nine-time leading rider at Turf Paradise, Stevens joined his brother as a George Woolf Award winner last year—the only brothers in history to win the prestigious honor for jockeys since its inception in 1950. They are also the only siblings to ride 5,000 or more winners apiece in North America. Gary Stevens retired in 2018 with 5,187 victories.

This is pretty special. First Bro’s. To hit 5,000 American wins. Well done brother. pic.twitter.com/BEhh0pOvFa

— Gary Stevens (@GStevens_jockey) March 9, 2020

Scott Stevens is second in the standings at the Turf Paradise meet. Over his career, his mounts have made over $43.1 million from more than 33,000 rides.

Born in Caldwell, Idaho, the son of a trainer and former rodeo queen, Stevens is a member of both the Idaho and Canterbury Park Racing Halls of Fame. He resides in Phoenix with his longtime partner Pam Isles and is the father of two grown children and five grandchildren.

He has no timetable for retirement. "There will be a day when I get up and don't feel like doing it. Then it's time to quit," he said.