Stevens-last Ride

Jockey finishes second in last race

Gary Stevens finished second in the last ride of his Hall of Fame career, pushing heavily favored Louve Royale within a length of winner Moonshine Gal in a 1 1-16-mile race on Churchill Downs' turf course.

Despite the loss, Stevens left as ``the happiest guy in the world,'' he said to the applause from thousands of fans on a cold, overcast day.

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``I don't have to go through the pain anymore,'' the 42-year-old jockey said, acknowledging a series of knee injuries.

Stevens finished with 5,005 career victories and more than $220 million in purse earnings. He will stay involved in racing, serving as an analyst for the TVG network.

Fellow jockey Mark Guidry thought Stevens' move to Kentucky last year may have signaled that he'd stay in racing a few more years.

``Gary was so good for the game,'' Guidry said. ``He will be missed considerably.''

Though he spent most of his career in California, Stevens' final race came at the famed Kentucky track that is home to the Kentucky Derby, a race he won three times - aboard Winning Colors in 1988, Thunder Gulch in 1995 and Silver Charm in 1997. He also won two Kentucky Oaks and four of his eight Breeders' Cup stakes races here.

``This is where it had to happen,'' Stevens said. ``Destiny put me here.''