Gary Stevens joins the all-star cast at International Jockeys' Championship
Hall of Fame American continues his comeback in the saddle and adds class to a quality field of riders next month
Champion American jockey Gary Stevens will cap off his remarkable comeback to the saddle when he returns to Hong Kong to ride in next month's Longines International Jockeys' Championship (IJC) at Happy Valley.
The December 4 series will see four past winners of the showpiece return once more - perennial Hong Kong champion Douglas Whyte (2002, 2007, 2008), France's leading rider Christophe Soumillon (dead-heat 2004), Epsom Derby winner Ryan Moore (dead-heat 2009, 2010) and Brazil's Joao Moreira (2012). But his appearance is in doubt, pending an appeal against a careless riding charge from last night's races.
The return of Stevens, however, has been the headline story of the year in international racing, having come back after seven years on the sidelines as a broadcaster and actor.
In the 10 months since his return, he has snared 64 winners, including the Preakness Stakes aboard Oxbow, and this month the 50-year-old rode Mucho Macho Man to victory in America's richest race, the Breeders' Cup Classic (2,000m) at Santa Anita.
Stevens has a strong record in Hong Kong, having ridden 20 winners from 89 rides during a three month stint in the 1994-1995 season, but he has not ridden here since finishing seventh in the IJC in 2001.
He is joined by 48-year-old Hong Kong debutant Mike Smith, best known as the all-time leading Breeders' Cup rider and for his association with champion mare Zenyatta. The pair, nicknamed the "Geritol jockeys" by trainer Bob Baffert for their ability to dominate racing at an age where most would be considering retirement, are the first American representatives in the challenge since 2010.