MINNEAPOLIS — Of all his trips to the winner's circle, Harry Hernandez takes special pride in the ones that no one saw coming. That philosophy came in handy last fall, when the young jockey met his new agent, former rider Scott Stevens, for the first time.
Stevens was just starting out as a jockey agent in Phoenix after an injury ended his 45 years in the saddle. Hernandez had just flown across the country to an unfamiliar place, looking to revitalize his career. When Stevens picked up his new client at the airport, the first thing he did was apologize for the horse Hernandez would ride in his first race at Turf Paradise.
"I told him, 'I'm sorry,' '' Stevens recalled. "The horse looked like it didn't have any chance whatsoever. And Harry hadn't even galloped a horse on the racetrack.''
