Hall of Fame Jockey Gary Stevens Back In the Saddle

You can take the man out of racing, but you can't take the racing out of the man.

Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens has come out of retirement to ride Jebrica on Sunday at Santa Anita Park. The three-time Kentucky Derby winner, 49, last rode in November 2005.

“My knees probably didn’t feel this good the last five years that I rode,” Stevens said in announcing his return to racing. “I’ve been getting on horses for the past eight weeks...I’ve worked some exciting horses over the past couple of weeks. A couple in particular that kinda made the hair stand up on the back of my neck, and I said, ‘Man, I missed this,’ just the feeling of that straight power and speed underneath you."

Stevens has racked up eight wins in various Triple Crown races, eight Breeders’ Cup victories and a record nine Santa Anita Derby wins. He was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame in 1997.