If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. That is a mantra that ultimately worked for Gary Stevens in pursuit of the elusive Breeders’ Cup Classic victory he craved.It took the Hall of Fame rider 15 attempts to get his hands on the Breeders’ Cup showpiece and he can fully empathise with Aidan O’Brien’s so far fruitless quest to end his own Classic hoodoo as he prepares to saddle the all-conquering City Of Troy at Del Mar on Saturday.Stevens had resigned himself to the fact the Classic would forever elude him after hanging up his saddle for a second time in 2005, with the 1993 defeat of Bertrando by French raider Arcangues epitomising the American’s fortunes in the 10-furlong event.However, he would finally collect the final piece of his career jigsaw, heroically returning to the saddle in 2013 and going on to form a winning partnership with Kathy Ritvo’s Mucho Macho Man as the duo stormed to Classic victory at Santa Anita that same year."The Classic is a great race and going way, way back I was second on Bertrando, it was a race I had several seconds and a race I didn’t have on my mantlepiece at home, but so wanted," said Stevens."I thought it just wasn’t meant to be when Andre Fabre’s Arcangues beat me at huge odds.
I was coming through the stretch and I see a shadow and I’m thinking 'who the heck could this be’ and being honest, I didn’t know what horse it was when he passed me except it was ridden by Jerry Bailey.
I realised it was the French horse and Arcangues and I was thinking ‘oh my god’."When I came out of retirement and was able to win it on Mucho Macho Man, it was finally meant to be."Stevens had already had a taste of the silver screen long before getting his own Hollywood moment aboard Mucho Macho Man,