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RETIREMENT
HALL
OF FAME JOCKEY GARY STEVENS
TO JOIN TVG AS ANALYST |
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FAVORITE CHARITIES:
Several people have wanted to make donations in Gary's name to his favorite charities. Here are some of them.
California Equine Retirement Foundation (Cerf) www.cerfhorses.org
Glen Ellen Vocational Academy www.glenellenfarms.com/geva
Tranquility Farm - www.tranquilityfarmtbs.com
United Pegasus foundation www.unitedpegasus.com
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Gary is very saddened by the death of Winning Colors. she was very special to him being his first Derby and the horse that kick started his career. he wants to pass his condolences on to Gainsway Farm and everyone who was involved with Winning Colors. he also wants to thank all the fans for the emails he has gotten in the last several hours about Winning Colors!
WINNING COLORS EUTHANIZED
Winning Colors (Caro {Ire}), one of only three fillies to win the GI Kentucky
Derby, was euthanized
Sunday morning at Lexington's
Hagyard Davidson McGee
Equine Clinic due to complications from colic.
Foaled in
1985, the strapping roan filly
beat the boys in the GI Santa
Anita Derby, and came back to
capture the "Run for the Roses"
by a gallant neck over Forty
Niner. Third in the GI Preakness
and sixth in the GI Belmont S.,
the Eugene Klein colorbearer
then came close to spoiling Personal
Ensign's undefeated record
not once, but twice. She
was beaten just 3/4 of a length in the GI Maskette S.,
and had the lead until the very last stride in the GI
Breeders' Cup Distaff, only to lose by a nose to the
Phipps champion.
Winning Colors earned the Eclipse
Award as top three-year-old filly in 1988, but could not
reproduce her Grade I form at four. She retired with a
record of 19-8-3-1 and earnings of $1,526,837.
The
mare produced 10 foals, including SP Golden Colors
(Mr. Prospector). She has a yearling filly by Mr. Greeley
and a two-year-old colt by Orientate. Winning Colors
was buried at Greentree Farm, a division of Gainesway.
"Winning Colors was always a champion, she had great
physical prowess and athleticism, she was one of my
father's favorite horses, and everyone at Gainesway is
saddened by her passing," said Gainesway President
Antony Beck.
Gary Stevens Joins IEAH Team ( www.IEAH.com )
January 10- Garden City, NY - IEAH Stables, Inc., a subsidiary of International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, Inc., today welcomed Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens to the IEAH team. Effective immediately, Stevens will assume a newly created position of Senior Advisor – Racing and Bloodstock Affairs at IEAH Stables. His position will encompass a variety of strategic roles, including an appointment to the investment committee, corporate spokesperson, and he will play a pivotal role in the bloodstock acquisition process.
Stevens will also be heavily involved in the newly established “Investment Partnership,” to be managed by IEAH Stables. This one of a kind fund will be offered to the public in the near future, and its characteristics are unique. Stevens will be active in the equine selection process, capital funding, and overall management of the fund that is expected to be in excess of $100 million.
Stevens, 44, retired from riding in 2005 with many accomplishments. He won three Kentucky Derbies, eight Breeders’ Cup races, a record nine Santa Anite Derbys and numerous races overseas including the Dubai World Cup and. In 1997, he became the second-youngest ever elected to racing’s Hall of Fame. He won 5,005 races and his $221,207,064 in overall purses placed him fifth all time by earnings. In addition to his accomplishments on the track he won acclaim for his portrayal of jockey George Woolf in the Oscar nominated film Seabiscuit. Upon his retirement from riding, Stevens joined NBC Sports as a racing analyst and is also currently employed by HRTV as an analyst.
Stevens will be joining IEAH following a record year for the stable. In 2007, IEAH Stables and its partners had gross purse earnings in excess of $4 million and won multiple stakes races with several different horses, including Eclipse Award finalist and Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Kip Deville. The stable was also represented in the Breeders’ Cup by Benny the Bull, fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint; and Shaggy Mane, seventh in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.
In 2008, IEAH Stables will campaign graded stakes winners Adagio, Frost Giant, Gran Estreno, Irish Smoke, Sharp Susan, and Subtle Aly, as well as the aforementioned Kip Deville and Benny the Bull.
In addition to its success on the racetrack, IEAH Corporation, another subsidiary of International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, Inc., will own and operate a world-class equine medical facility currently under construction at Belmont Park. The facility, aptly named for the great Ruffian, is expected to be completed in May 2008 and IEAH has retained the services of top equine practitioners Dr. Patricia Hogan and Dr. James Hunt.
Contact for Gary Stevens: Kelly Wietsma/914-261-6379/equisponse@aol.com
NBC SPORTS WINS LIVE RACING MEDIA ECLIPSE AWARD FOR KENTUCKY DERBY TELECAST
The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) today announced that NBC Sports has won the Media Eclipse Award for National Television – Live Racing, for its production of the 2007 Kentucky Derby.
The Kentucky Derby telecast, which was produced by Sam Flood, aired on May 5, 2007 from Churchill Downs in Louisville. With Queen Elizabeth II in attendance, NBC’s two-hour telecast of the 133rd “Run for the Roses” captured the dramatic come from behind victory of Street Sense and the exuberance of winning jockey Calvin Borel during his return to the winner’s circle.
This is the seventh consecutive year that NBC Sports has won the Live Television Media Eclipse Award.
“We are extremely excited to win the Eclipse Award for a terrific telecast.” said Flood. “We had an excellent team of announcers, led by our host Tom Hammond who, year after year, brings passion and dedication and sets high standards for our group that comes through with everyone.”
Flood also credited director David Michaels for securing the crowning moment of Borel returning on Street Sense in front of thousands cheering in the grandstand. “That was the magical moment,” said Flood. “We stayed with him [Borel] on the ride back and captured all the emotion of his achieving a lifelong dream. Obviously, someone in the White House was watching.” That ride earned Borel and his fiancée, Lisa Funk, a trip to Washington, D.C. two nights later for a state dinner at the White House with President Bush and the Queen of England.
As a part of the production, NBC also utilized an aerial camera to isolate Borel guiding Street Sense as he passed 18 horses in the field before taking the lead in midstretch.
NBC’s telecast was hosted by Bob Costas and Tom Hammond, who were joined by analyst Gary Stevens, handicappers Bob Neumeier and Mike Battaglia, and reporters Donna Brothers and Kenny Rice. Tom Durkin was the racecaller. Executive producers were Dick Ebersol and David Neal. Rob Hyland was co-producer of the broadcast.
Judges for the National Television – Live Racing category were: Bob Fishman, director, CBS Sports, Pete Macheska, director, Fox Sports, and Bud Lamoreaux, former CBS Sports producer. The decision of the judges was unanimous.
Eclipse Awards are given to recognize members of the media for outstanding coverage of Thoroughbred racing. Eclipse Awards are bestowed upon horses and individuals whose outstanding achievements have earned them the title of Champion in their respective categories. Awards also are given to recognize members of the media for outstanding coverage of Thoroughbred racing.
The Eclipse Awards are named after the great 18th-century racehorse and foundation sire Eclipse, who began racing at age five and was undefeated in 18 starts, including eight walkovers. Eclipse sired the winners of 344 races, including three Epsom Derbies.
The 2007 Eclipse Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, January 21, 2008 at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. For hotel accommodations and Eclipse Awards dinner reservations, contact Debbie Blair at the NTRA’s Lexington office, (800) 792-6872, or e-mail dblair@ntra.com.
The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of horse racing interests consisting of leading thoroughbred racetracks, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity of horse racing and improving economic conditions for industry participants. The NTRA has offices in Lexington, Ky., and New York City. NTRA press releases appear on the NTRA web site, NTRA.com.
Arcadia, CA, Nov. 7 -- Legendary Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens has reached an agreement with HorseRacing TV (TM) (HRTV) to serve as an on-air analyst for the network's comprehensive coverage of Thoroughbred racing.
See the HRTV Spot Announcement on YOUTUBE. It is great.
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.
"We're delighted to welcome Gary Stevens to our outstanding group of analysts," said Jim Bates, executive vice president and general manager of HorseRacing TV. "Gary is a talented, highly-respected figure in Thoroughbred racing, and has brought the same keen understanding and instincts to the broadcast booth that he had in the saddle. We're eager to share his interesting perspectives and insights with our viewers."
"I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work together with Jim, Amy Zimmerman, Ron Charles and 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.”
In joining HRTV, Gary also joins executive producer Amy J. Zimmerman, with whom he works with on NBC's broadcasts.
"The addition of Gary to our team is a terrific statement as to the long-term commitment of HRTV to the horse racing industry," said Zimmerman. "We've known each other for many, many years and I am honored to have the opportunity to work with him on a year-round basis."
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 blockbuster, "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.
It has come to Gary's attention that some sellers on E-Bay are offering items with false authentication so please beware..
Gary and his friend Sean Rydell at the recent book signing in Lancaster, CA
This was on St. Patrick's Day at the Antelope Valley OTB. We apologize for not announcing this on the website before the event,
