CKNW News Staff | Email news tips to nwnews@cknw.com
5/13/2012
Mario Gutierrez, the surprise winner of this year’s Kentucky Derby, brought 8,000 fans to their feet at the Hastings race track last weekend.
They were watching on TV screens then, but on Sunday, they got to meet their local hero in the flesh.
Raj Mutti, the track’s general manager, says it's good for business.
"The Kentucky Derby is the most famous horse race in the world. And a local Vancouver jockey winning that race just makes horse-racing mainstream and even more popular than it had been in years past."
The 25-year-old Mexican-born Canadian was a 15-to-1 underdog in last weekend's race.
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