Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

News From The Other Side of the Tracks
Top Chicago Jockey Mark Guidry Retires Saturday

November 7, 2007

Mark Guidry said he recently came to terms with a decision that was inevitable. For 32 years, Guidry has been riding racehorses for a living, but when he dismounts Saturday from Bel Air Beauty in the Mrs. Revere Stakes at Churchill Downs, he will have ridden his last race.

"This has been tearing me up for the last week, but when I decided that it was time, I feel much better," Guidry said earlier this week. "I think it is just time. I had a great career."

For Guidry, 48, retirement comes after some of the most productive years of a sensational career. The longtime "King of Chicago," as he was known during his 1990s heyday on the Chicago circuit, Guidry began making Kentucky his primary base in 2000.

Guidry will attend the six-day Racing Officials Accreditation Program that starts Wednesday at the University of Louisville. He is planning to become a racing official, with the ultimate goal of being a steward.

Guidry became the 21st jockey in North America to hit the 5,000-win milestone on May 4 at Churchill. Going into Saturday, he has ridden 5,042 winners, and his mounts have earned slightly more than $100 million. His greatest victories were the 2006 Kentucky Oaks on Lemons Forever and the 2005 Santa Anita Derby on Buzzards Bay. He was honored in 2006 with the George Woolf Memorial Award, which he called the high point of his career.

"I was luckier than some and not as lucky as others," said Guidry. "I'm grateful that I am going out on my own terms and in one piece. I guess that's all you can ask."

Gary Stevens To HorseRacing TV
Legendary Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens has reached an agreement with HorseRacing TV (HRTV) to serve as an on-air analyst for the network's comprehensive coverage of Thoroughbred racing.

Stevens, whose career spanned 27 years, encompassing over 5,000 victories and more than $221 million in purse earnings will join HRTV's stable of analysts on January 1, 2008. In addition to his long-term commitment to HRTV, Stevens will continue to serve as an analyst for NBC Sports. Prior to joining HRTV, Stevens was an analyst for Television Games Network.

"I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to work together with their talented team at HRTV", said Stevens. "As the industry's network they are making a tremendous commitment to horse racing. I look forward to using my experience in working together, with the network in delivering a great product to the viewers while, at the same time increasing HRTV's coverage and fan base."

Stevens will work closely with HRTV's production team to impart his unique experiences and expertise to the network plans for comprehensive coverage of the 2008 racing year.

In 1997, At age 34, Stevens was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall, becoming the youngest person to earn that honor. A year later, he won the Eclipse Award as the nation's top jockey. In 1996, he was named the recipient of the prestigious George Woolf Memorial Jockey Award. He later earned acclaim for his portrayal of Woolf in the 2003 Oscar nominated, "Seabiscuit."

He won virtually all of the sport's biggest races, including eight Triple Crown races -- three Kentucky Derbys, two Preakness Stakes, and three Belmont Stakes. He also piloted eight Breeders' Cup winners during his brilliant career, and won a record nine Santa Anita Derbys. In 1993, he became the youngest jockey to surpass $100 million in career earnings.

In his illustrious career, Stevens rode some of the sport's greatest equine stars, including: Winning Colors, Thunder Gulch, Silver Charm, Point Given, Silverbulletday, Da Hoss, Rock Hard Ten, Bertrando, Singspiel, Victory Gallop, Fantastic Light, and many others.