Mario Gutierrez: Unknown Jockey Proves Underdogs Can Still Win Big

Calvin Borel has three Kentucky Derby wins in the last five years. Mario Gutierrez didn't even have a Wikipedia page before the main event at Churchill Downs on Saturday.

Yet, somehow, Gutierrez was the one who was draped in roses at the end of the day.

Leading up to the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby, the big story was that there was no big story. It was anyone's race. Even the odds-on favorite, Bodemeister, seemed to perplex oddsmaker Mike Battaglia, who couldn't decide whether to favor him or Union Rags.

It's fitting, therefore, that the horse who won overcame 15-1 odds, and his jockey was embarking on his first-ever run in the Derby.

Gutierrez ran down favorite Bodemeister in the final furlong to get the win for trainer Doug O'Neill, marking the first winner from Gate No. 19 in Derby history.

The Vancouver-area jockey learned how to ride quarter-horses as a teenager in Mexico City, and left home at 19 years old for the Hastings track in Vancouver, according to the Vancouver Sun's Yvonne Zacharias.

There, he quickly became a star after struggling with immigration authorities to gain admittance. On one serendipitous trip to Southern California in the fall, he encountered 85-year-old jockey agent Ivan Puhich, who eventually led him to a Hollywood Park—and I'll Have Another.

Leading up to the race, Calvin Borel—who ended up riding Take Charge Indy to a 19th-place finish—dominated the dialogue. He was the star jockey with a history of bringing out the best in no-name horses and somehow commandeering them to unlikely wins. He didn't seek out a horse to ride when the Derby came around; trainers sought him out.

Perhaps Take Charge Indy's owners should've consulted Gutierrez. It's a fitting story for a year when it seemed like an inevitable truth that an underdog would win.

Prior to winning the Derby, Gutierrez told Zacharias, "As jockeys, we are on horses every day. Every once in a while, there comes one that you know is special."

Borel also said something similar about Take Charge Indy. Looks like Gutierrez's instincts were a bit more spot-on.

I'll Have Another legged out the win by one-and-a-half lengths and paid $32.60, $13.80 and $9.

The future bodes bright for both Gutierrez and I'll Have Another, who will storm the track at the Preakness in two weeks. That one-and-three-sixteenths-mile race is more suited to the horse's blazing speed and, hopefully, the conditions will be better then, too. It rained all night prior to the Derby, leaving the track sloppy and muddy.

A shorter track and better conditions can only mean a daunting task for the rest of the Preakness field. Forget Bodemeister and Calvin Borel. They have to worry about beating speed demon I'll Have Another and Kentucky Derby champion jockey Mario Gutierrez.