Preakness 2012: Mario Gutierrez Must Maintain Composure Atop I'll Have Another

Mario Gutierrez’s performance is just as important as I’ll Have Another’s.

In the race for the Triple Crown, horses are always highlighted and jockeys are forever forgotten. But Gutierrez's ability to maintain the same composure that he displayed in the Kentucky Derby is key to I'll Have Another's pursuit of a victory in the Preakness Stakes.

According to Alicia Wincze Hughes of the Kansas City Star, Gutierrez's improbable win impressed his competitors. Bodemeister led for the vast majority of the race at Churchill Downs before I’ll Have Another’s clutch finish. The second-place horse’s trainer, Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, said of the jockey:

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For a guy as young as he is, he rode a pretty cool race. He's the only one who didn't chase me. The guys who chased, their horses fell apart. But he didn't take the bait. If he had chased me he would have emptied out.

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But Baffert believes Gutierrez’s inexperience aided him in his Kentucky Derby effort. The trainer said now that the jockey’s eyes are opened, repeated success will be significantly more difficult:

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You know what, he didn't realize it (the enormity of the Kentucky Derby). Martin Garcia was the same way when he won the Preakness; they don't know. Then all of the sudden they start winning those and then it's like 'Oh (expletive).' Then they get nervous.

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But I’ll Have Another’s trainer Doug O’Neill isn’t worried about Gutierrez succumbing to butterflies. He raved about the 25-year old Mexican as he said: "The kid is a rock star. He's enjoying every bit of it and not worried about it overwhelming him at all."

One side thinks that Gutierrez is ready to snap. The other possesses the utmost confidence in him. Gutierrez's own beliefs definitely fall into the latter, and he sure doesn’t sound intimidated. He said: “All the tracks are the same. They have dirt and they are a circle. I'll gallop a few horses and just prepare like I did for the Kentucky Derby. Hopefully everything goes right.”

They have dirt and they are a circle: awesome answer.

I’ll Have Another doesn’t boast Bodemeister’s top-end speed. As a result, Bodemeister will enter the 2012 Preakness Stakes as the favorite to pull off a redeeming victory. However, what I’ll Have Another does have going for him is Gutierrez.

If the jockey pulls off an equal performance to his miraculous Kentucky Derby comeback, the nation will be talking Triple Crown heading into the Belmont Stakes. If he gets nervous like Baffert predicts, though, the possibility of a Triple Crown triumph will die for the 34th straight year.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

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