From the age of 19 in 2006 when he arrived at Hastings Racecourse in Vancouver from his native Mexico till this past year Mario Gutierrez was one of the leading riders there. Now he is only 1 win away from the Triple Crown with I'll Have Another. The question is, is he indirectly saving horse racing in Vancouver? A recent NY Times article explains the struggles of that the track is having. The current race operators contract with the city of Vancouver runs out at the end of the year, and the breakdown rate at Hastings is bad.
However, the recent exploits of Gutierrez could change that. On Belmont day, the 1st post time was changed so that the crowd could cheer on Mario and I'll Have Another in the race.
Alot of Mario's success is thanks to a trainer by the name of Terry Jordan. Yes Troy Taylor was the main trainer he rode for, but Jordan was the one who actually found him in Mexico City. Soon though he would team up with Taylor and his main owner Glen Todd and be successful. It was fate that brought them down to LA when Golden Gate refused to give Taylor and Todd stalls there. From there, the rest they say is now history.
With the Belmont being only a week away, Hastings is could be enjoying a crowd level from it's heyday. If Mario and I'll Have Another get the Triple Crown, not only will Southern California be very proud, but Hastings would be going berzerk for their homegrown jockey.
Here is a video showing some of his rides at Hastings, plus the Lewis and SA Derby wins:
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