Pain Free and Driven, Stevens Scripts Another Comeback

Gary Stevens is back working horses at Santa Anita Park in preparation for his comeback on Friday in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
By Tom Pedulla, America’s Best Racing
ARCADIA, Calif. – As handicappers weigh the chances of Sivoliere in the $1-million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Friday, the assessment may involve more the rider than the horse.
Is anyone willing to bet against Gary Stevens in his latest comeback?
There are legitimate questions about Sivoliere, an Irish-bred who took three of her first five career starts in France but now makes her U.S. debut for new trainer Chad Brown and new owner Martin Schwartz. Brown took her into his barn during the first week of September.
“She’s one they tell me has a liking for firm turf. She’ll get it here,” Brown said. “We’ll see how she does.”
Stevens, a 51-year-old grandfather, answered any lingering questions about him last year. It is hard to imagine anything he cannot do. He is full of optimism as he prepares for his first mount following total replacement of his right knee on July 25.
STEVENS RETURNS

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire

Even to those who know him well, the speed of his recovery is remarkable.
“I’m amazed as well,” he said. “I’ve been applauded and congratulated several times the last few days and I’ve said, ‘Please don’t congratulate me until I’m in the winner’s circle.’ ”
He had first sought a knee replacement 15 years ago with the hope that procedure would relieve the excruciating pain he was enduring to compete. He was advised to wait until he was older and to reap the rewards of the steady advances that were being made in performing the surgery.
When Stevens rode for Brown and was an also-ran in the United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park in New Jersey in July, he realized he could wait no longer. Brown accepted the result in stride, telling him, “You had a bad trip.”
Stevens was not so forgiving. “That is my specialty, working my way out of bad trips,” he told Brown.
Doctors told him his knee had deteriorated to the point that bone was rubbing against bone. They were not sure how he had been able to walk, let alone ride. Stevens had dealt with pain for much of his career. This had become intolerable.
“I fired myself,” he said.
A difficult rehabilitation allowed him to begin exercising horses two weeks ago and to keep to his goal of competing in the Breeders’ Cup.
“I’m pain-free right now other than a few muscular aches and pains,” he said. “The focus is no longer on the knee itself and the joint.”
Stevens is no stranger to resuming competition after time away. He first retired due to knee issues in 1999 but soon was back in the saddle. It appeared he had left the game for good when he was out from 2005-’13. He could not stay away.
“It’s what I do,” he said. “I love the competition. I love the atmosphere in the mornings.”
His comeback in 2013 offered one of the most compelling storylines of the season. He provided a crafty ride aboard Oxbow, escaping with a leisurely pace in the Preakness Stakes, for his ninth Triple Crown triumph. He again displayed an uncanny ability to rise to the occasion in last year’s edition of the Breeders’ Cup.
He closed the first day of competition with a flourish, triumphing aboard Beholder in the Distaff. He stamped his signature on the second day as well, bringing home Mucho Macho Man in the Classic for his 10th Breeders’ Cup triumph.
Stevens emphasized that he would not have accepted the mount on Sivoliere if he was not fully prepared.
“There is so much on the line in these races. Owners and trainers have put in so much time and money,” he said. “It’s so important how I come back. I’ve got to be good.”
STEVENS AT SANTA ANITA

Photo by Eclipse Sportswire