AIKEN -- For Ron Stevens, today will be like the first day of spring.
After a long, cold winter, the renowned horseman will see the fruits of his labor with a fresh start to the racing season. Nine of the young horses he trained will compete in the Aiken Trials.
"This is the busiest week of my year," he said. "I have mellowed out now. I'm not as competitive. If my horses perform well, then I have accomplished what I needed to."
Stevens, 64, has seen dozens of his horses exceed performing well.
Summer Squall is the most notable, winning the Preakness in 1990 and placing second in the Kentucky Derby. Most recently, Stevens trained Quality Road, who won the 2009 Florida Derby and was considered a favorite for the Kentucky Derby before a foot injury last summer.
Stevens, the president of the Aiken Training Track, spends most of his year training about 250 horses, but the Aiken Trials is the most significant event of his year, he said.
Today's event is the first of the Aiken Triple Crown, with steeplechase and polo on subsequent Saturdays. The trials will give about 30 horses the chance to test their talents in front of a crowd of thousands.
This year's trials will likely have a better turnout than last year's because of better weather, Stevens said. There has been an uptick in ticket sales, he noted.
"We would like to see more, but the wet and cold weather did make it hard for trainers to get their horses ready," Stevens said. "This is a schooling experience for my horses. It's a good experience. The weather will be nice, too."
The Manhattan, Kan., native owned his first horse at age 10. He honed his skills as a trainer in his mid-20s, when, as a schoolteacher, he would spend summers working with horses.
"After about three years of teaching, I quit," he said. "I knew I had a passion for horses, so I wanted to make a living out of it."
Stevens spent the 1970s working in the Midwest with quarter and show horses, but he eventually evolved to training thoroughbreds.
In 1981, he moved to Georgia to work as a farm manager for Dogwood Stable, which moved to Aiken in 1986.
By 1990, Stevens opened his own facility, and he now trains horses for Dogwood and other horse farms from Texas to Virginia.
Jack Sadler, the vice president of Dogwood Stable, said Stevens' years of success show his ability to relate to the horses the same way a coach relates to his athletes.
"He's very conscientious. The horse always comes first," Sadler said. "He realizes each horse is an individual, so you can come up with a game plan, but you have to adapt to each horse's characteristics."
Stevens said his success stems from common sense and attention to detail. He studies each horse that comes to his track and clues in on their physical development, mental prowess and athleticism.
Running the training track and the trials each year is a testament to Stevens' people skills and horsemanship, Sadler said.
"You have to know how to work with people, and be willing to delegate some responsibilities to other people," he said. "He has such a great team around him because they love working for him."
Stevens' daughter, Leslie Veronee, has worked with him for the past 20 years. She boards horses after they return from races or are injured.
She said even after years of success as a horseman, her dad has remained humble. Once his young thoroughbreds leave the training track, racetrack trainers usually get most of the credit for their success, she said.
"I'll see horses at the racetrack running, and they never mention his name," she said. "He doesn't mind, because it's about putting the horse first. He gives them everything they need to be great on the racetrack."
His work is still recognized by many in the horse community even if his name is never called, Sadler said. Stevens trained all six of Dogwood Stable's horses that will take part in the trials today.
"Cotton Blossom, Summer Squall and Storm Song are just a few he helped make millionaires," Sadler said. "Ron's trained them all."
WHAT: The 68th annual Aiken Trials, which will benefit the Aiken Horse Hall of Fame and Museum and the Aiken Land Conservancy
WHEN: Gates open at 10 a.m., race begins at 2 p.m.
WHERE: Aiken Training Track, 538 Two Notch Road S.E., Aiken
COST: $15 for tickets, $15 for parking
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