Jockey Gutierrez hits the heights in New York
June 5, 2012NEW YORK (AP) - Taking in the Manhattan skyline from atop the Empire State Building, Mario Gutierrez was a long way from his small hometown near Veracruz, Mexico.
The 25-year-old jockey checked out the view on a sunny Tuesday morning in his first visit to the Big Apple. He'd already visited the ride that got him here, having stopped by Belmont Park earlier to check on I'll Have Another. Gutierrez and the colt will try to win the Triple Crown for the first time in 34 years on Saturday in the Belmont Stakes.
Standing 86 stories above the bustling city, Gutierrez smiled as a knot of photographers closed tightly in on him. ``Mario, over here,'' they shouted. ``Turn this way.'' He happily obliged as tourists craned their necks to see the short guy who is the poised to become the toast of the racing world.
Later, Gutierrez told trainer Doug O'Neill about his adventure, admitting that he felt dizzy and joking that the historic building was ``2 or 3 inches higher'' than the roof at Pimlico where he won the Preakness on May 19.