Inside the Jockeys’ Room with Gary Stevens
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Stevens with his daughter Maddie. (Photos courtesy of the Stevens family unless otherwise noted)
Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens and Chantal Sutherland-Kruse, a two-time Sovereign Award winner in her native Canada, take America's Best Racing's readers inside the jockeys' room in 2014. Stevens and Sutherland-Kruse will provide answers to all sorts of questions such as how jockeys get paid, what goes on between races, whom they admire and what type of music and fashion style they favor.
In this edition of Inside the Jockeys' Room we learn a little more about Stevens, whose comeback in 2013 was arguably the biggest story in horse racing and featured wins in the Preakness Stakes with Oxbow and Breeders' Cup Classic with Mucho Macho Man. Stevens currently is recovering from knee surgery but plans to make a return to race riding once he's back at full strength. Read on to learn about Stevens' favorite city and preferred superpower.
What’s your favorite racetrack and why?
STEVENS: Santa Anita is my favorite racetrack. I live about a mile from the track so it is my home track. It is truly the most beautiful backdrop of any racetrack anywhere.
STEVENS AND MUCHO MACHO MAN AT SANTA ANITA
Photo by Eclipse Sportswire
If I could speak to one dead person, it would be … ?
STEVENS: General George Patton or Vince Lombardi
My least favorite thing about my morning routine is?
STEVENS: Waking up. It is getting really hard to wake up at my age. The second hardest thing is getting on the scale. That determines how my day will play out.
Roller-coaster or haunted house?
STEVENS: Roller-coaster
Favorite town/city in the world?
STEVENS: Boise, Idaho
How often do you workout, and what’s your favorite go-to exercise for staying in shape?
STEVENS: Every day I work out. I walk either with my dogs or on a treadmill. I also work horses.
STEVENS AND WIFE ANGIE ON HALLOWEEN
Why is winning the Triple Crown become so difficult? Can it be done?
STEVENS: This is like a five-paragraph answer. It is too long to answer here with all the reasons and things this sport should do.
Horse racing is cool because … ?
STEVENS: It was cool. Keith Brackpool is trying to do things at Santa Anita to make it cool again.
How many friends do you keep in touch with from childhood? High school?
STEVENS: A lot of them. I have a good handful of them.
If you could switch roles for one day with any other professional athlete, who would you switch with and what would you do?
STEVENS: Tiger Woods. I'd hit the ball square.
If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
STEVENS: Reading minds.