And he's off

05/01/2019 

Reylu Gutierrez '17 uses his degree in exercise science every day.

Just not in the way he imagined he would.

Gutierrez, who spent much of his youth working for his father, Luis Gutierrez, a horse trainer at Finger Lakes Racetrack in Farmington, N.Y., is one of America's most promising young jockeys. He was one of three finalists for the 2018 Eclipse Award for apprentice jockeys, horse racing's equivalent of rookie of the year.

Being a great jockey, however, wasn't always Gutierrez's goal. Although he had good experience working behind the scenes at Finger Lakes and the right size - his 5-foot-1 frame is an asset in the sport - his mother, Rosy Gutierrez, a registered nurse, pushed him toward college.

Gutierrez had designs on becoming a physical therapist. It remains a career option in the future. Yet after graduation, he figured he'd give this jockey thing a shot.

So far, so good.

Gutierrez raced for the first time on Oct. 4, 2017 at Finger Lakes, his home track. He won his first race within a month and was riding horses at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla. by January 2018. At the end of 2018, a year in which he won 109 races and earned $3.4 million in purses, he was at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, part of the esteemed New York Racing Association (NYRA) circuit.

"It's been great. I'm very blessed to have had such a great year and be put in this position," Gutierrez said. "Over the last year it's been a lot of hard work and I have to stay very disciplined."

In March, Gutierrez won his first graded stakes race at Aqueduct and shed his apprentice rider status. In short, he's not a rookie any more.

His goal is to keep climbing his way up the NYRA circuit, which means racing against the best of the best at Belmont Park on Long Island and possibly at Saratoga Race Course this summer.

Gutierrez knows the path to the winner's circle won't be easy. His daily routine, when he's not at the track, is trying to keep his body in a constant balance of being as strong as possible while keeping his weight at 110 pounds.

"Jockeys have to get up at 4:30 in the morning to be at the track at 5," he said. "It's a professional athlete's life. It's fun, it's great to win, it's an amazing feeling, but at the same time, every great jockey makes sacrifices.

"There are only so many jockeys who have really established themselves and they're a lot older. They've put a lot of years in. To get to that point I just have to put in a lot of work and try to improve every day, whether it's getting fitter or getting better on the horse."

Having spent his life around the racetrack, Gutierrez knows how important it is for the children of those who work in horse racing to have access to education. That's why he is a benefactor of the Belmont Child Care Association, which provides daycare and educational support to the children of NYRA's backstretch workers.

A college degree is a rarity for jockeys, trainers and backstretch workers. Gutierrez has been approached by older jockeys who ask him about college. Their children are grappling with financial aid and scholarships and finding programs that fit their career interests. He is glad to share his higher ed expertise.

"It was something my parents challenged me to do and expected me to do," he said. "I always believed my parents had my best interests at heart and I wanted to follow my parent's plan, and it's really paid off. I'm really happy my mother pushed me to go to school."

By chance, Gutierrez also met one of his best friends, and a comrade in racing, at SUNY Cortland. Vinny Greco '17, a premium sales specialist for NYRA, was one of Gutierrez's roommates freshman year in Whitaker Hall. Greco's father, Manny Greco, like Luis Gutierrez, had decades of experience training horses.

When the elder Gutierrez and Greco met on move-in day, they realized they had a network of mutual acquaintances. And over the next four years in Cortland, Reylu and Vinny started daydreaming about their own futures in the sport.

Greco is using his sport management background to draw new audiences to horse racing. As for Gutierrez and his success in the saddle, well, Greco couldn't be more proud.

"It's crazy to see how far he's come," Greco said. "It hasn't been that long of a time. I've known him for six years. Sometimes you have to sit back and think 'If this is what he's done this quick, imagine what he's going to do in his career.'"