HRTV and NBC analyst Gary Stevens won the Kentucky Derby three times as a jockey. Stevens talked with The Post’s Justin Terranova about Saturday’s Kentucky Derby.
Q: What effect does Quality Road being out of the race have on the Derby?
A: It must be devastating for everyone involved to get this close to it and then have it taken away. It’s definitely going to affect the pace of the race. Quality Road had a lot of speed, and I think that was definitely going to be established early in the race. Now, I think that’s going to change dramatically.
Q: Any horse that’s not getting a lot of attention that could pull a surprise?
A: There’s one horse that no one is talking about and that’s Papa Clem. If I [were] still riding, I wouldn’t mind being on his back. He has an excellent chance of winning the thing, and no one’s talking about the horse. He won the Arkansas Derby. Another horse that could be a surprise is Chocolate Candy. Also, the Godolphin horses have trained exceptionally well here — Desert Party and Regal Ransom — and without Quality Road in there, Regal Ransom can sneak up there and steal this thing.
Q: Is this the most wide-open Derby we have had in a while?
A: Not just a while, but a long while. Last year, Big Brown looked like he was [by far] the best going into the race and proved he was, coming from the 20th post position and basically destroying the field. I would definitely be surprised if some horse was able to run off and hide in this field. This is the type of year where it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if three different horses won the three legs of the Triple Crown.
Q: The jockey on the favorite I Want Revenge, Joe Talamo, is 19 years old. Any chance he will be overwhelmed by the moment?
A: Absolutely not. That kid looks like a phenom. He performed flawlessly in the Wood Memorial with a lot of adversity in that race. And I saw him around here and I told him he just has to be comfortable in his surroundings, and that’s what he’s doing.
Q: Do you consider your three Kentucky Derby wins the biggest of your career?
A: Absolutely, no comparison. I won races that were more valuable, but not as big to me. This, to me, is the most prestigious race in America and perhaps the world. This is it. Some people may not know anything about horse racing, but they know the Kentucky Derby.