Stevens bound for Japan's World Super Jockeys Series

Hall of Famer Gary Stevens will compete in the World Super Jockeys Series, a

two-day contest held at Hanshin Racecourse November 30-December 1. Inaugurated

by the Japan Racing Association in 1987, the competition pits top riders from

Europe, North America, Asia and the Antipodes.

Stevens will be making his fourth career appearance in the World Super

Jockeys Series, but his first since 1998, when he turned in his best finish in a

tie for fifth. After emerging from a seven-year stint in retirement in early

2013, the 50-year-old has taken the racing world by storm. His storybook

comeback has been highlighted by his Preakness victory aboard Oxbow and a pair

of Breeders' Cup wins, turning the Distaff/Classic double with Beholder and

Mucho Macho Man. Stevens will take in this contest before heading to Hong Kong

for its International Jockeys' Championship at Happy Valley December 4.

Representing Europe are Richard Hughes and Ryan Moore of the United Kingdom,

Irishman Pat Smullen, Germany's Andrasch Starke and young Frenchman Maxime Guyon.

Australia's Craig Williams and Hong Kong's Douglas Whyte complete the visiting

team.

Japan's representatives are Yuichi Fukunaga, Suguru Hamanaka, Yasunari Iwata

and Yuga Kawada of the JRA's Ritto Training Center; Keita Tosaki and Hiroyuki

Uchida of the JRA's Miho Training Center; and the NAR's Shoichi Kawahara, the

oldest of the competitors at age 54, who won his only prior appearance in the

World Super Jockeys Series in 1997.

Four other past winners are also seeking to regain the World Super Jockeys

Series title -- Whyte (in a tie in 2004), Iwata (2005), Williams (2007) and

Moore (2010).

The contest comprises two allowance races each day, for a total of four

scoring opportunities. The opener on November 30 is the Golden Saddle Trophy, an

about seven-furlong turf affair, followed by the Golden Bridle Trophy, the

series' only dirt race, at about nine furlongs. The December 1 events are the

Golden Boots Trophy, at about 10 grassy furlongs, and the Golden Whip Trophy at

a metric mile, both on the Japan Cup Dirt undercard.

Mounts will be determined by a random draw on November 27.

Additional information on scoring, the jockeys' biographies and past results

are available

here.

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