Guidry to retire Saturday

Mark Guidry, one of just 22 jockeys to win more than 5,000 races in North America, will ride for the last time Saturday, he said Tuesday at Churchill Downs.

Guidry, 48, said in April that he intended to bow out sometime in August, but he had a change of heart. After a 32-year riding career, Guidry is seeking to become a racing official, with the ultimate goal of being a steward.

Guidry, a native of Lafayette, La., became the 21st jockey in North America to hit the 5,000-win milestone, on May 4 at Churchill. Through Tuesday, he had ridden 5,042 winners and his mounts had earned just more than $100 million.

Among the biggest races Guidry won were the 2006 Kentucky Oaks on Lemons Forever and the 2005 Santa Anita Derby on Buzzards Bay. He was honored in 2006 with the George Woolf Memorial Award.