Although no one really keeps track of such things, Gary Stevens had no problem making the assessment with complete conviction.
“I guarantee I’m the first grandfather winner of a Triple Crown race,” said the 50-year-old Stevens, who guided Oxbow to a stunning upset victory in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday (Sunday AEST).
Stevens retired in 2005 after a long struggle with knee pain. He resumed riding in early January, the same week he got a call from 77-year-old trainer D. Wayne Lukas, who told him about a couple of promising three-year-old colts he had, one of them Oxbow.
With Stevens riding confidently, Oxbow led from start to finish to win the Preakness and end Kentucky Derby winner Orb’s bid for the Triple Crown.
The victory justified Stevens’ decision to return to racing.
“I’m not going to lie to you, to win a classic at 50 years old after seven years’ retirement, it doesn’t get any better than this,” he said.
“This is super, super sweet. All the stars were aligned. I couldn’t be more pleased winning this thing. It’s even more special winning it for Wayne Lukas and his team.”
It was Stevens’ third career victory in the Preakness and one he said was even easier than it looked.
“A lot of critics are going to think that I’m full of it saying this, but I won with a little something left, believe it or not,” Stevens said.
Stevens captured his first Triple Crown race in the 1988 Preakness on Winning Colors for Lukas, and they have remained close since then.
“Wayne put me on the map,” Stevens said.
Although he changed jockeys on his other two entrants in the Preakness, Lukas remained convinced that Stevens was the right person to ride Oxbow.
“Let me say, I think I got a Hall of Fame ride,” Lukas said.
“We can plan this thing, we can talk about it, we can talk about strategy. But once that gate is open, they have to make the decisions. Gary made some great ones.”
As he was gathering momentum and leaving the other eight horses in his wake, Stevens couldn’t help but think about the trainer that provided him with his first Triple Crown winner and got him back into the game at an age when most jockeys have long since quit.
“I was smiling pretty good on the back side. I actually thought about Wayne up in the grandstands,” Stevens said.
“I knew he had to be looking at those fractions and was pleased with what he was seeing.”
