For the past 10 years, jockey Juan Gutierrez has been riding with one goal in mind.

It hasn’t been the pursuit of the crown jewel of the Emerald Downs racing season, the Longacres Mile, although he’s managed to snag two of them – aboard No Giveaway in 2005 and with The Great Face in 2007.

Nor has it been the prestigious season riding title, an honor Gutierrez added to his list of accomplishments in 2012 when he set a torrid pace, winning 26.5 percent of his starts on the way to a 117-win season.

For the 43-year-old Mexican-born rider, the goal has been much more personal, according to Gutierrez’ agent, Keith Drebin.

“He’s been focused on putting his daughter through college,” Drebin said.

This year that goal will come to fruition with 21-year-old Tania Gutierrez graduating from the University of California, Davis with a degree in speech therapy.

“I’m very proud of my daughter,” Gutierrez said, “and everything I do right now is for her.”

Gutierrez got his start riding as a youth in Mexico.

“My grandfather was a farmer so he had horses,” Gutierrez said. “And the racetrack in Mexico City was five minutes from my parents’ house. So I had two uncles who were trainers also. I grew up around horses.”

At the age of 16 he began competing in Mexico, notching his first win aboard Glorious Beauty.

Gutierrez soon was drawn to the United States.

“I first came up to be an exercise rider,” he said. “There were more opportunities. I rode at Los Alamitos (in Southern California).”

After a brief retirement from riding, Gutierrez pulled up stakes and moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2000 to begin his Emerald Downs career as an exercise rider for trainers Howard Belvoir and Ricardo Perez.

“I decided to ride again up here because it was what I loved,” he said. “And Howard said he was going to give me a chance to ride up here.”

The move has agreed with Gutierrez, who has finished in the top 10 every year since 2002. He is second in career Emerald Downs wins with 955.

Last season he shined with a riding title.

“I think we started out right riding nice horses,” Gutierrez said. “And I think we were a little lucky. But we started good and we finished good. It feels good (to win the title). I tried for a few years and finally last year we did it. Thanks to Keith Drebin, my agent, picker of the right horses.”

And coming into this season, Gutierrez said he’s feeling good and focused on competing for another title.

“I feel OK right now,” he said. “I’m healthy so I’ll keep riding. I don’t have any plans to stop. I’ll ride until God says you stop, but right now I don’t have any plans. I feel really good. I had a great season last year and this season is going to be better.”