Mario Gutierrez: Latino Pride

DEL MAR, Calif. - Mario Gutierrez was without doubt one of the top 10 Hispanic athletes of 2012 and the rider revelation of the year.

The Mexican native of Veracruz achieved last year a prodigious leap in his career, finding the mount aboard I'll Have Another and leading him to win two of the three legs of America´s Triple Crown of horse racing. Gutierrez managed to win the famed Kentucky Derby, participating in it for the first time and sending his mount from the unlucky draw number 19, which requires horses to race extremely wide. Weeks later, he repeated the triumph in the Preakness Stakes, and only the beginning of tendinitis in his left front prevented the colt from attempting to win the Triple Crown, elusive as any for 35 years now for any Thoroughbred.

At just 25 years old at the time and with only previous experience in Vancouver (Canada), Gutierrez went seamlessly from the minors to the big leagues, rubbing elbows equally with experienced Hall of Fame riders. He remains firmly showing that he has reached the elite Southern California racetracks to stay.

It's been a little more than a year since those epic and resounding triumphs Gutierrez achieved in the saddle of I'll Have Another. However, his career has not stopped there, Gutierrez today continues to show a great level of maturity bringing him closer and closer to consolidating his skills and establishing his place in the difficult and demanding Southern California circuit.

Thanks to his talent, dedication, and in large part to an important and successful partnership with trainer Doug O'Neill, Gutierrez continued to add new triumphs toward that consolidation that makes the difference between great riders and the rest of them. Gutierrez and O'Neill combined to win 11 races during the spring -summer meet at Betfair Hollywood Park. Now, in the summer season at Del Mar Gutierrez already has 14 wins in the first 23 days of racing for fifth place in the standings behind the already established Rafael Bejarano, his compatriot Martin Garcia, Frenchman Julien Leparaoux and another also very pleasant revelation in Edwin Maldonado.

Gutierrez successful and impeccable ride aboard the O´Neill-trained and Reddam Racing filly Bas in the fourth race at Del Mar on Aug. 14, in a way, inspired this well-deserved recognition.
According to Dana Kelly, associate producer for CBC News, Gutierrez was in the listed among the 10 most outstanding personalities that made headlines in 2012.

Riders like the legendary Panamanian Laffit Pincay Jr., Peruvians Edgar Prado and Jorge Chavez, the great Puerto Rican Angel Cordero and John Velasquez, Gutierrez himself, and now more recently the extraordinary Dominican Joel Rosario thrilled us more than once, jumping out of our seats to celebrate their triumphs and be proud of being Latino. This pride makes us their unconditional followers, makes us bet on their mounts and makes us shout their names when they are on their way to the finish, victorious.