Mario Gutierrez: Preakness-Winning Jockey on Verge of Joining Elite Company

Mario Gutierrez is looking to become the 12th jockey to ever ride a Triple Crown-winning horse.

Gutierrez's emotions following the race showed the magnitude of this feat.

Gutierrez has expertly maneuvered I'll Have Another through two racing fields. The Kentucky Derby field was much larger and the course was longer than Pimlico.

No matter, I'll Have Another had no trouble adjusting to the differences in the two tracks.

The horse may run the race but the jockey plays his hand in a horse's success too. The jockey navigates the horse through traffic, makes sure he is positioned correctly and kicks him into high gear when the race gets hot.

Gutierrez has been precise and his timing has been perfect thus far.

When I'll Have Another came around Pimlico's first turn on Saturday, it was almost like you could see him kick it into another gear.

Gutierrez knew when to send him, knew his horse's tendencies and made sure he was capable of going full throttle for the remaining lengths.

A horse's Triple Crown hopes have three prongs.

The horse runs the race, the trainer makes sure he is ready to run the race and the jockey makes sure the horse knows his plan of attack.

The jockey is like the captain of a ship, traversing the track's ins and outs while avoiding any pitfalls along the way. Gutierrez's light touch and quiet understanding of racing allowed I'll Have Another to claim the Triple Crown's second leg.

Gutierrez is looking to join names like John Loftus, Earl Sande, Jean Cruquet and Steve Cauthen. These jockeys all won a Triple Crown and are the best at what they do.

Gutierrez's post-race emotions and his expert skills atop I'll Have Another land him in elite company. He is a master of his craft with enough vulnerable emotion that you cannot help but root for him when Belmont rolls around.