News & Neuigkeiten » 193.708 mph set last October by Biff

Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens will undergo hip replacement surgery before Christmas, a procedure that could put an end to his riding career, he announced in a statement released early Tuesday. Stevens cautioned he was unsure whether he would be able to return to riding in 2017.According to the statement, released through his wife, Angie Athayde Stevens, Stevens has been fighting a problematic hip in recent months and was hoping to ride through the spring before needing treatment. He underwent tests on Monday that indicated the operation needed to be moved forward.The setback is the latest change in short-term plans for Stevens, who said earlier this fall that he planned to ride at Oaklawn Park in 2017. He reversed course last month with the announcement that he would ride first-call in Southern California for Mick Ruis.In Tuesdays statement, Stevens indicated that he will continue to work with Ruis as an advisor and assistant trainer. Ruis has said repeatedly that he plans to take out a trainers license for 2017 and hopes to have a stable of more than 40 horses. His horses are currently trained by Craig Dollase.Stevens expressed concern that the hip injury could end his illustrious career.I wasnt ready to hang it up and I still dont know if Im ready, he said in a statement. Im going to have the procedure done next week and Ill play it by ear. Im in a great position with Ruis Racing and I dont want to lose that. Luckily, I can continue on as part of the team and see what happens in a few months.All I can do is have it done and hope for the best, he said of the operation. I hope Im in a position in a few months where I can make the choice if I want to go back to riding or not.Stevens, 53, has had an outstanding year, having ridden Beholder to a dramatic win by a nose in the Breeders Cup Distaff at Santa Anita on Nov. 4. Beholder was retired after the BC Distaff and has been sent to Kentucky to be bred next year.In 2016, Stevens won 40 races from 316 mounts who earned $5.9 million. Stevens was often selective with his mounts, frequently riding only a few horses a day.Stevens has won 15 stakes this year, the most recent of which was the Ruis-owned Defiantly in the Let It Ride Stakes at Del Mar on Nov. 12.Stevens has won 5,083 races in the United States and Canada and has ridden extensively internationally, notably in Dubai, England, and Hong Kong in a career that began in 1979.Stevens has fought knee problems in the past that have led to temporary retirements. With the exception of one mount in an exhibition, Stevens once did not ride for seven years, making a comeback in January, 2013. That year he won the Preakness Stakes on Oxbow and the Breeders Cup Classic on Mucho Macho Man.In 2014, he underwent knee replacement surgery that resulted in a four-month break.Earlier in his career, Stevens won the Kentucky Derby three times -- on Winning Colors (1988), Thunder Gulch (1995), and Silver Charm (1997).Stevens won the 1998 Dubai World Cup on Silver Charm. Jack Marin Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Gerald Green Jersey . -- Ken Appleby made 32 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead the Oshawa Generals to a 2-0 win over the Belleville Bulls on Wednesday in Ontario Hockey League action. https://www.cheaprocketsonline.com/167z-hakeem-olajuwon-jersey-rockets.html . Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. Stitched Rockets Jerseys . John Lucas, signed as a mentor for rookie Trey Burke, showed he can score if required, scoring 12 points of his 16 points in the second quarter as Utah built an 18-point lead. Charles Barkley Jersey .J. Jefferson has been charged with assaulting his girlfriend.CONCORD, N.C. -- Denny Hamlin isnt ready to say hes back, even after winning the pole for the Coca-Cola 600 with a record-setting qualifying lap Thursday night. He said it would take a win Sunday night or at another Sprint Cup race later in the season before hes willing to make that declaration. But Hamlin showed he continues to be on the mend after being sidelined for four races with a compression fracture in his lower spine following a March 24 crash involving former teammate Joey Logano. Two weeks after finishing second at the Darlington 500, Hamlin broke the track record with a lap of 195.624 mph to capture his first pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "Getting the big trophy on Sunday -- that is the validation that you are truly back," Hamlin said. Hamlin has a far bigger goal in mind anyway. He and Jimmie Johnson are the only two drivers to make the Chase for the Sprint Cup every year theyve been eligible. He wants to keep it that way -- and then some. "Its going to take wins and consistency throughout the next several months to put ourselves in position to have a chance at a championship," Hamlin said. "That is what were here for. But these small victories give me confidence Im still capable and still able to do the job at 100 per cent like I should be." Four Toyotas will start in the top five. Hamlin will start alongside Kurt Busch on the front row, followed by Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin and Clint Bowyer. Kasey Kahne will start sixth, Greg Biffle seventh, Kyle Busch eighth, Jamie McMurray ninth and Ryan Newman rounds out the top 10. Johnson, who won his record fourth Spriint All-Star race on Saturday, will start 12th, one spot behind Dale Earnhardt Jr.dddddddddddd Danica Patrick, who has struggled on the 1.5-mile tracks this season, starts 24th. It looked like Kurt Busch would take the pole. But when Hamlin heard Busch say in an interview he missed his marks on turns three and four, he decided to step away from his normally conservative qualifying nature and go for the top spot. "He made a mistake and I capitalized on it," Hamlin said. Hamlin did everything he could to push the envelope. "Normally I wouldnt commit myself to running a lap like that -- its too dangerous," Hamlin said. "But we have a mission ahead." Hamlin, who has never won a Sprint Cup race at CMS, was one of eight drivers to top the previous track record of 193.708 mph set last October by Biffle. Hamlin said he was sore for about two days after Darlington, but said hes feeling much better now. "Everything is good," Hamlin said. It is Hamlins 14th career pole, including his second this year. The other came at the Auto Club in Fontana. "How did that turn out? Great race," Hamlin quipped, referring to the crash with Logano that knocked him out for more than a month. Despite qualifying second, Kurt Busch believes he still has the car to beat on Sunday after winning two segments at the All-Star race here Saturday night. "The All-Star race is great, but we can do better," Busch said. "Our car is so good right now." This is the seventh time in 12 races this season that Sprint Cup drivers have posted a new qualifying record. ' ' '