Gary Stevens Returns To The Big Time

Gary Stevens is excited to be riding in his first Breeders' Cup meeting since 2005 after coming out of retirement this year.

It may be 13 years since his last success at this meeting but the 50-year-old has lost none of his appetite as he aims to bridge that gap and get back on the roll of honour.

Though not all of his 13 rides over the two days are in the Breeders' Cup races, he cannot wait to be in action at Santa Anita, his local track, where he enjoyed great success first time round and rode his first comeback winner in January.

Among his booked mounts are Indy Point in the Turf, Marketing Mix in the Filly & Mare Turf and She's A Tiger in the Juvenile Fillies Dirt.

"It's been a good year, better than I could have hoped, and things are progressing well. I look forward to the weekend," Stevens said.

"The horses I ride are hand-picked by my agent from a select bunch of trainers, including Tom Proctor and Richard Mandella.

"You always hope for the best and expect the worst, but the nine Breeders' Cup rides I have all have legitimate claims.

"I hope to walk away with quite a bit of hardware (winnings) and I'll be disappointed if I don't."