Gary Stevens starts training career

[Mara]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/51043/gary-stevens-starts-training-operation

Don't know what to make of this. The list of successful jockeys turned high-profile trainers is short. . .only John Longden comes immediately to mind.

[Artful]

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/51043/gary-stevens-starts-training-operation

Don't know what to make of this. The list of successful jockeys turned high-profile trainers is short. . .only John Longden comes immediately to mind.

off the top of my head, I thought Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons and Lucien Laurin.
Granted, they weren't as high profile as jockeys as Stevens was, but they seemed to have segued into their training careers fairly well
;)

Oh--and Jimmy Winkfield, who won back-to-back Derbys. I believe he was a successful trainer for many, many years all over Europe.

[Mao]

Steve Cauthen has a training center, right?

[shanky]

Steve Cauthen has a training center, right?

Yeah but I think Dreamfields is more of a breeding/starting/lay up facility. And I wonder how much Cauthen has to do with the day to day training aspect of starting or bringing back into work? It always sounds like most of Cauthen's role is on the business side of his investment, which is a lot different than Stevens trying to scratch out a living getting horses to win on the track.

Look at it this way, Steve is always talking about driving his kids to school and family man stuff like that. When was the last time a trainer, who had horses that were active at a track, was home at 7:00 am to chauffeur the kiddies?

[Equilibrium]

I wish him luck, but can't see him sticking with this any longer than any of his other post-jockey careers. Maybe the son will be the one to keep it going.

Terri

[Laurierace]

I like how he announces that he is planning on using Santa Anita as a training center then shipping the horses all over the place to run. A non celebrity would have gotten tossed out of the racing office on their head.

[Glimmerglass]

Hasn't Gary been a bit scattered with his various career pursuits? None of them announced quietly but rather a tad splashy and with Gary saying he's wanted to do each of them for a while.

He said he was going to stick with acting (http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/31621/stevens-ponders-television-series-role) after Seabiscut which anyone could've said just was unrealistic. That came and went.

Then he was a big host for TVG only to bolt (http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/31701/stevens-to-make-tvg-debut-with-risen-star) rather quickly over to HRTV. No formal explanation as to why.

Then he was part of the Little Red Feather racing partnership but quickly left that too (http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/36611/stevens-little-red-feather-part-ways). Again, no formal explanation as to why.

The man has the right to do whatever he wants and plenty of deals can go sour and justify a change so no big deal. Still I suspect this foray will end up like the others. I cannot see Gary slogging it out with a small string of horses and entered into just a few graded stakes races for too long.

[Pronzini]

He's been a trainer before--he was Alex Hassinger's assistant when he trained for the Thoroughbred Corp about 10 years ago and in between retirements.

As noted, this is just his latest itch. He has at least a career change a year and then he gets bored.

[Mara]

All of his career changes were at the forefront of my mind when I read the article/made the original post, but for whatever reason I worried about sounding snarky (it was late; my brain was half-asleep!) so I didn't mention.

Somehow I think he was happiest on the back of a horse. Too bad his knees didn't allow him to continue. Since retiring it's been one "career" after another, plus a divorce (or two?) He was fine in Seabiscuit, but nothing special. I'm not surprised the acting didn't pan out.

I think he does quite well in the TVG role. Bailey's perhaps a bit better but there's room for both.

[Glimmerglass]

I think he does quite well in the TVG role. Bailey's perhaps a bit better but there's room for both.

Just to be clear Gary is no longer affiliated with TVG and remains in limited commentary use for rival network HRTV and also does the Derby & Preakness with NBC.

Jerry Bailey is with ESPN/ABC and never has been associated with TVG or HRTV. I suspect he would get picked up in a heartbeat by either but I don't see him being that interested in grinding out the constant commentary for wagering combinations.

Both guys make up the only examples of jockey to broadcast booth in recent years successfully. Ex jockey Donna Brothers is relegated to being more of a reporter. The late great jockey Eddie Arcaro (d. 1997) did marginal job with CBS and ABC in the 1970's.

[Blinkers On]

Oye, like others have said just a matter of time till he looses interest. His MO.
He can easily get stalls at Santa Anita as there are loads of empty barns. My guess is 4 am will get old veryfast!
I wish him luck though.

[Mara]

He seems to lose interest in wives too. . .urk, did I just type that????:eek:

[Blinkers On]

HA! oops!! Did you say that out loud????

[Glimmerglass]

Opening day at Del Mar (7-22) will mark the first entry with Gary Stevens as the trainer

Look for the 8th race - Oceanside Stakes with Lesson in Deceit (http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/21/del-mar-stable-notes-tuesday-july-21-2009/?sports/horseracing)

Gary Stevens is set to send out his first horse as a new trainer in Wednesday's $100,000 Oceanside Stakes on Del Mar's opening day of its 70th racing season.

If Lesson in Deceit wins the one-mile race on the Jimmy Durante Turf Course, the bar will be set pretty high for Stevens. That's nothing new for the Idaho native who numbers among the victories in his Hall of Fame career three Kentucky Derbies and eight Breeders' Cup championship races.

Winning a stakes race with his first trainee is quite a task and creates plenty of pressure. But, that's only half the battle for Stevens -- Lesson in Deceit is owned by his father Ron, brother Craig and uncle Dr. Gordon Cooper. Add the fact that his father had trained the horse earlier and you have plenty of pressure.

Stevens is comfortable with the progress of Lesson in Deceit since he came from previous training by the elder Stevens following a fifth-place finish in Golden Gate Fields' Alcatraz Stakes in May. "He's been training great," Stevens said by phone from his Santa Anita training base. "I wish there appeared to be more pace in the race, because he's got a helluva kick."

The retired rider will remain at Santa Anita, where he has five horses in training with his son, T.C., during the Del Mar meeting. "But." he said, "I'll be active in the claiming game down there during the meet."

[Glimmerglass]

Gary did get his first victory as a trainer October 16, 2009 with Higher Incentive (http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/53013/stevens-notches-first-win-as-trainer) in a $32,000 claiming race on the turf at Oak Tree.

Although the DRF's Jay Hovdey cites (11-04-09) an incident last week where GS was more lucky! (http://hovdeyblog.drf.com/hovdeyblog/2009/11/overload.html):

Last Saturday, the Hall of Famer-turned-trainer took the worst of a bizarre chain reaction when a filly in the next saddling stall backed into the heavy wood and metal partition and knocked it to the ground.

Valet Manny Avila (who gallops Richard's Kid and Always a Princess for Baffert), was helping Stevens saddle his filly, and was momentarily pinned beneath the partition. The filly shied into Stevens, and banged his head into the another partition. That one held. "This is nothing," Stevens said, pointing to the traces of a nasty scrape near his left temple. "It's what was going on inside my head that had me worried."

As for Avila, he escaped with a few scratches and bruises. "Look at this," he said, waving his scratched Callaway sunglasses. "The least they can do is buy me a new pair."

[DickHertz]

Stevens has 9 starters to date with 1 winner and no other on-the-board finishes.

[Glimmerglass]

Looks like Gary is getting tossed a bone by Mike.

Brisnet 11/15/09 "Diamondrella transferred to Stevens, headed for Matriarch" (http://www.brisnet.com/cgi-bin/editorial/news/article.cgi?id=16922)

"I got a surprise call early Thursday morning," Stevens said Sunday from Santa Anita. "Michael (Iavarone, head of owner IEAH Stables) informed me that she was coming. It was a big confidence booster."

Diamondrella was shipped to Kentucky for the Fasig-Tipton Sale after finishing 11th in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita on November 7, but was bought back by IEAH for $1.1 million and flown back to California by way of Indianapolis early Friday morning.

She's pointed to the Matriarch S. (G1) November 28 at Hollywood Park.

[stellar hope]

Gary has been doing mucch work with buying for clients at the sales and "placing" the horses in training with trainers of his choice.. we have one in training that is owned by one of his clients so we deal with him often on how the horse is progressing.... I would say that the training for him will be limited.

Also, Joe Deegan has had a good start to his training career.....

[Glimmerglass]

Still I suspect this foray will end up like the others. I cannot see Gary slogging it out with a small string of horses and entered into just a few graded stakes races for too long.

Well just call me Nostradamus, ha! :D

DRF 1-15-10 "Stevens to disband stable for TV work" (http://drf.com/news/article/110152.html)

Gary Stevens is disbanding his 14-horse training stable this month to concentrate on television work, he said on Friday.

A Hall of Fame jockey, Stevens said the expansion of NBC to show several Kentucky Derby prep races and his acquisition of a theatrical role in a racing-themed series that will begin on HBO later this year led to his decision.

So, Gary is dropping the stable in favor for "Lucky" the HBO pilot show (http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=239313) which hasn't be shot yet and has not guarantees of being picked up? Interesting.

[Mara]

I swear, that man changes jobs as often as I change underwear!

[DickHertz]

He's a good jockey and a good TV analyst. Since he's too achy to ride, he should just stick with what he does well.

[JER]

"Lucky" the HBO pilot show (http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=239313) which hasn't be shot yet and has not guarantees of being picked up? Interesting.

I think they're shooting the pilot in the next couple of months. (HBO doesn't order a lot of extra pilots IME. Cable pilots are shooting right now.)

I didn't post on the other thread but this could be a nice fit for Michael Mann. He likes horses quite a bit -- he used to ride my old eventer in the morning a few days/week.

[Glimmerglass]

And today (1/31/10) concludes his training foray with Diamondrella (owned by IEAH) failing to hit the board in the G1 Santa Monica Handicap - in fact she ended up second to last - which was won by Bob Baffert trained Gabby's Golden Gal.

[lolalola]

Don't make fun when he's won that Emmy or Academy Award. The handsomest short guy in the history of the movies!

[Glimmerglass]

Don't make fun when he's won that Emmy or Academy Award. The handsomest short guy in the history of the movies!

Why stop there - he should go for the "EGOT" (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_persons_who_have_won_Academy,_Emmy,_Grammy ,_and_Tony_Awards) on top of the Hall of Fame and Derby awards received :D Let's see Barbra Streisand try and top that!

[Kim]

But what roles can he play besides a jockey???

[Glimmerglass]

But what roles can he play besides a jockey???

I think the jockey gig is totally done now following a very sad mishap.

His impending return for yet another sanctioned race this time a "legends vs. current" riders at Arlington Park has ended with both injury to him and more sadly the death of the mount. At Saratoga while working a horse it resulted in a tragic end: August 15, 2010 DRF - "Retired jockey Stevens hurt in training accident" (http://www.drf.com/news/retired-jockey-stevens-hurt-training-accident)

Stevens was working the 2-year-old Thatcatismine - in company with the unraced 2-year-old Dance City, with fellow Hall of Famer Angel Cordero up - when Thatcatismine suffered a fatal internal injury and fell just a few strides past the finish line. Stevens was unseated and fell as the horse collapsed. Thatcatismine died instantly from either a heart attack or ruptured aorta, trainer Todd Pletcher believes. A necropsy was to be performed, Pletcher added.

And further insult to injury, literally:
Stevens did not have an exercise rider’s license in the state of New York, and the stewards fined Pletcher $200 for employing unlicensed help.

[Nikki^]

*Hugs Glimmerglass*

Glad to have you back!:D