Idaho to Honor Native Son Gary Stevens

Idaho Governor James E. Risch will honor Idaho native and three-time Kentucky Derby winning jockey Gary Stevens with a proclamation announcing next week as "Gary Stevens Week" across Idaho.

Stevens and his family will join Governor Risch and leaders from Capitol Racing at Les Bois Park to make the announcement in the Governor's Office on July 10 at 2:30 p.m.

Stevens, who now makes his home in Louisville, Ky., and Sierra Madre, Calif., retired from race riding in 2005. He is to be recognized by Capitol Racing at Les Bois Park on July 15.

Stevens was born March 6, 1963 in Caldwell, Idaho. He won his first horse race on May 16, 1979 at Les Bois Park on Lil Star (first career mount) trained by his father Ron Stevens. He went on to national prominence with three victories in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), two victories in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I), three in the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) and nine in the prestigious Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) over a career that spanned 27 years and more than 5,000 worldwide victories. He was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1997.

In addition to his accomplishments on the track, Stevens earned accolades for his performance in the 2003 Oscar nominated movie Seabiscuit in which he costarred as the legendary jockey George Woolf. That same year, People magazine featured Stevens in their annual "50 Most Beautiful People" issue. He now is a horseracing analyst for NBC Sports and for TVG network.

Festivities involving Stevens and his family at Les Bois Park Saturday include a race named in his honor as part of the program that begins at 6 p.m. Capitol Racing and Stevens will donate his appearance fee and monies raised from the event to local charities.