|
Domestic Dispute may surprise Medaglia d'Oro and Pleasantly Perfect
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Gary Stevens, horseracing's latest contribution to Hollywood, promised a good Dubai World Cup (Gr 1) showing from Domestic Dispute, despite the admission that his mount had 'a couple of lengths to make up on the big two.'
Top American jockey Stevens, who starred in last year's Oscar-nominated film Seabiscuit, expects the Peter Gallagher-trained colt to trouble heavily fancied Medaglia d'Oro and Pleasantly Perfect.
"My horse will stay the trip well. He'll enjoy the long straight and if they are collapsing at the end we'll be there to pick up the pieces," he said yesterday.
"There's no doubt that those two are above average, but I've also seen the South African horse (Victory Moon) and he looks very, very good.
"But they had better not forget about the horse in the No 1 box (Domestic Dispute)," he cautioned, tongue-in-cheek.
Stevens, who won the 1998 Dubai World Cup aboard the Bob Baffert-trained Silver Charm in 1998, is looking to spark his career as he prepares to take up a new position as retained rider to leading French trainer Andre Fabre.
"My life has been a bit of a whirlwind since Seabiscuit," admitted the 41-year-old Hall of Famer. "I really enjoyed doing the film and I made so many new lifelong friends. But right now I just want to concentrate on my racing.
"Movies and racing are two separate lives, it's difficult to separate yourself from it. Seabiscuit changed things a bit, but riding race horses is where I get my peace and quiet."
Stevens, who has ridden over 4,600 winners including the Kentucky Derbies and eight Breeders' Cup success, played the part of famed jockey George 'The Iceman' Woolf in the film, which is based on the depression-era sports drama about the legendary racehorse called 'The Biscuit.'
Like in the movie, where several symbolic victories by the famed horse help inspire a downtrodden 1930s America, Stevens is hoping his new partnership with Fabre will offer fresh motivation. "I'm looking forward to the new association and the learning experience," he said. "That is to me what horse racing is all about. To learn and advance in the sport.
"With the quality of horses that he has and with his clientele, it's the best opportunity any jockey can get as far as I am concerned.
"He trains for the best owners in the world and has some of the best racehorses. What more can I say?"
Stevens, who will fly out of Dubai the day after the World Cup to join Fabre, recalled almost joining the Frenchman back in the 80s.
"Andre and I came close to teaming up 16 years ago," he revealed. "I spent some time at his yard, working horses for him. But we each went our separate ways.
"He's been very successful, I've been successful. But to get a second chance at this opportunity is more than any human being could ask for. My life's been incredibly good the last year and it just keeps getting better and better," he added fondly gesturing to his fiance, sitting on his left.
The Stevens-Fabre partnership is not totally new. In the 1990 Breeders' Cup Turf he rode the Frenchman's In The Wings to victory at Belmont Park. Clearly an adventure seeker at heart, he enjoyed a two-month stint with Sir Michael Stoute in 1999 during which he won the Juddmonte International at York on Royal Anthem.
"I find racing in the States boring," he said. "It's a lot more exciting in Europe." |
