The Perfect Ride [Hardcover]

Gary Stevens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2002

The Perfect Ride is a compelling behind-the-scenes account of the racing world, told by a man who has lived it. Here is the remarkable story of American jockey Gary Stevens who has triumphed over a lifetime of adversity - injuries, extortion attempts and death threats included - to become one of the most recognisable names in international racing today. He has also found fame as a film actor with his critically acclaimed appearance in the hit film Seabiscuit.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gary Stevens fell in love with horseracing at age 12 and won his first Kentucky Derby at age 25, aboard the three-year-old filly Winning Colors. It was a wire-to-wire win and a stunning triumph - one of many in Stevens' award- and injury-studded career. He is a member of the Horse Racing Hall of Fame and the recipient of the prestigious Eclipse Award. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Citadel (May 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806523611
• ISBN-13: 978-0806523613
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #680,088 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Ride: a perfect read for racing fans!, January 9, 2004

By 

Monika "equestrienne_23" (Davis, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Perfect Ride (Paperback)

I have long held a great measure of respect for Gary Stevens as a professional racehorse jockey. I've watched him ride some great races on television (having grown up in an area with almost no horse industry at all, I have not had the fortune to see one of his races live). My respect for the man only grew when I saw the movie Seabiscuit (where he plays jockey George Woolf, who rode Seabiscuit in his famous match race with rival War Admiral) and realized he had a bit of acting talent as well. So when I saw his autobiography in the store, I snatched it up right away and am certainly glad I did. Reading it, my estimation of this great athlete went even higher.

Stevens begins with his early childhood, living in Idaho. His father worked with Appaloosas, then moved on to Quarter Horse racing, and later to Thoroughbreds. Gary's older brother Scott began a career as a jockey, and Gary soon followed in his footsteps. He was riding Quarter Horses in races (under Scott's name) before he was legally old enough to obtain a jockey's license. The boy fell in love with the sport, and soon made the switch to riding Thoroughbreds. At seventeen, he left home for California, rode a dismal season, and returned to Idaho. There he got married, and over the next few years his career began to take flight and the book describes all his significant wins, losses, and other experiences.

Though his career soared over the years, Stevens talks of his constant battle with pain. A series of riding accidents over the years left him with terrible knees, requiring frequent surgery. He endured many breaks from riding in order to undergo rehabilitation, and often returned to the track prematurely, riding despite the pain. He even retired for a short time and tried his hand at training, but found he just couldn't stay away from riding. Stevens' frank discussion of his pain is one of the most inspiring things I've ever read. No matter how much he was hurting, he kept pushing forward, and made more than one amazing comeback in the sport.

In addition to race riding, Stevens discusses other major events that helped shape his life - his children, his divorce, his remarriage, and the death of a fellow jockey and close friend, Chris Antley. He also talks of his relationships with various trainers and jockeys; how he makes decisions on which mounts to accept, how to ride his races, and what directions to take with his career; and he evaluates some of the great horses he has ridden, including Thunder Gulch, Point Given, Winning Colors, Serena's Song, Silver Charm, and others. He talks about his struggle with weight, and how he has managed to stay in shape for riding. Stevens has ridden in the United States, Hong Kong, and Great Britain, and he compares the atmosphere and racing procedure in these very different places. All in all, this book is an excellent inside look at the life of a top racehorse jockey.

The epilogue touches briefly on Stevens' acceptance of a role in Seabiscuit, the new movie based on author Laura Hillenbrand's best-stelling book. He mentions a few things about the early stages of filming - what it was like to act for the first time, to work with co-star Tobey Maguire, to see an inspiring true horse story come to life on film, etc. My one criticism here is that he does not tell us enough. I really wish he had delayed the publication of this book another year so that he would have been able to include more about his work on the movie.

A few reviewers here have commented on a lack of accuracy in the book. Stevens himself tells us early in the book that his accounts are based largely on his own memories, which are fallible. He acknowledges the fact that he may have made some mistakes in his recollections. I don't really hold this against him. I suspect that any autobiography will contain some inaccuracies. The author is relying largely on personal memory, spanning a very large period of time. Stevens' goal here wasn't to provide us with a data sheet on the races he's ridden; he wanted to share the experiences of his life - to show us what's brought him to where he is today. And I think he's done an excellent job at just that. Having a date off by one year here, or not being entirely clear on the legalities surrounding building rights on a certain racetrack there don't detract from the messages the book has to offer. I would highly recommend this book to any horse racing enthusiast.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME, INSIDE LOOK AT RACING, August 7, 2002

By 

"jnumbers" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Perfect Ride (Hardcover)

What does it take to make it as a jockey? How does it feel to ride a champion? For the answers to these questions and many more, pick up a copy of Gary Stevens; memoir, THE PERFECT RIDE. Co-author Merv Kaufman does an excellent job of capturing Stevens' voice and chronicling his rise from Idaho farm boy to champion race rider. There's a lot of great stuff in here from an inside view of the jock's room to fascinating stories about racing from around the globe. This isn't just another sports star memoir. It's a story of triumph over adversity, packed with scores of anecdotes about the jockeys, trainers, owners and horses who make the game great.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Inside Look At Horse Racing, April 16, 2003

By 

Alan Leroy Albrecht (Omaha, NE, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Perfect Ride (Hardcover)

If you love thoroughbred horse racing and are hungry for an inside look this book is for you. Gary Stevens discusses the great horses he has ridden and the great trainers he has worked for. At the same time he is still a working jockey and I believe he went to great lengths to not offend anyone. It is a shame because you can't help but believe that Gary has a strong opinion on just about everything in his industry. He avoids saying much about his fellow jockeys except for kind words regarding Bill Shoemaker and Pat Day. And Chris Antley is discussed in detail.