This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Juan Gutierrez Rides to 1,000th Win at Emerald Downs

Gutierrez joined Gallyn Mitchell (1,347) as jockeys with 1,000 wins in the track's 18-year history.

Emerald Downs jockey Juan Gutierrez became the second jockey in the track's history to win 1,000 races on Sunday. The milestone occurred in the second race, as Gutierrez guided Ankeny Hill to a 3-¾-length victory and joined Gallyn Mitchell (1,347 wins) as jockeys with 1,000 wins in the track’s 18-year history.

Gutierrez captured his first Emerald Downs riding title in 2012 and has finished in the top five every year since 2001.

“Thanks to God, everything is possible,” said Gutierrez, a 43-year-old native of Mexico. “I’ve always had good support from my family, and my agent (Keith Drebin) makes some good decisions.”

Gutierrez won twice on Friday and Saturday, and three times on Sunday. With seven wins over the weekend he leads over fellow jockeys David G. Lopez and Anne Sanguinetti.

His 1,000th victory at Emerald Downs was accomplished on Ankeny Hill, a first-time starter trained by Chris Stenslie and owned and bred by Dr. Rodney Orr.

Find out what's happening in Rentonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Gutierrez has earned over $10 million in over 6,000 mounts while at Emerald Downs. He is a two-time Longacres Mile winner (2005 and 2007). He learned to ride on this grandfather's farm in Mexico City at the age of 8. His first win at Emerald Downs was on April 29, 2000.

**Additional information for this story was provided by the Emerald Downs Media Relations staff.**

Find out what's happening in Rentonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?