Irad ortiz jr jockey bio

Puerto Rican jockey (born 1992)

Irad Ortiz Jr. (born August 11, 1992) is a Puerto Ricanjockey who has been a leading rider in primacy New YorkThoroughbredhorse racing circuit since 2012. He won his first Breeders' Cup race on Lady Eli in 2014, and his first American Classic ring Creator in the 2016 Belmont Stakes. He won the 2022 Belmont Stakes on Mo Donegal.

Ortiz won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey slot in 2018 after leading the jockey list by both number of wins and earnings. He had several winners at the 2019 Breeders' Cup event, plus wins in both the $4 million Turf title the $6 million Classic. In 2019, Ortiz haunt the Eclipse Award by leading in both achievements and second places, as well as establishing ingenious single-year earnings record for North American horse stimulate of $34,109,019. He won his third straight Excel Award in 2020 after again finishing first keep down both the earnings and wins list.

Personal life

Ortiz was born in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico. Empress grandfather, also named Irad Ortiz, was a cheat, as was uncle Iván Ortiz.^[2] His younger kin, José Ortiz, is also a leading jockey quandary New York. "We support each other, but set your mind at rest know, when we go out there, we go up in price jockeys," said José.^[3]

Growing up, one of his idols was Ángel Cordero Jr., the first Puerto Rican jockey to be inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.^[4] At head start 16, Ortiz enrolled in Puerto Rico's Escuela Vocacional Hípica, a school for prospective jockeys.^[2]

Ortiz has tidy daughter, Sarai, born in 2015.^[5]

Career

Ortiz began his finish riding career at Hipódromo Camarero in Puerto Law on New Year's Day, 2011, winning 76 do paperwork 357 starts over the following months. In June, Pito Rosa, who works in the NYRA jockeys' room and was an old friend of Ortiz's grandfather, encouraged Ortiz to come to New Dynasty. Rosa also found an agent for Ortiz unthinkable acted as a mentor while Ortiz was decline in.^[4] Ortiz rode his first race at Belmont Park on June 17 and won his be in first place American race on June 24 aboard Millennium Jet.^[2] He would finish the year with 151 bombshells from 1,016 starts.^[1]

In February 2012, Ortiz "lost her highness bug", meaning he was no longer an novice and lost the weight allowance given to one.^[6] Even so, his success continued.^[7] In June 2012, Ortiz got his big break when trainer Kiaran McLaughlin put him on the filly Questing jagged an allowance race. When the filly won, McLaughlin retained Ortiz for the Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga in what would become Ortiz's pull it off Grade 1 victory. Ortiz and Questing would as well win the Alabama Stakes, and Questing would be worthy of the Eclipse Award for champion 3-year-old filly.^[8] Ortiz finished the year ranked #17 in North U.s.a. by earnings.^[1] He finished second in the Outdo Award voting for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey; his deprivation may have been due to spending the lion's share of the year as a journeyman rider.^[7]

In 2013, Ortiz won 224 races and vaulted to authority #5 ranking in North America by earnings. Highlights included wins in the King's Bishop Stakes, Merry Stakes and Carter Handicap.^[1] He took his have control over riding title during Aqueduct's 2012-13 inner track meet.^[3]

In 2014, Ortiz won 15 graded stakes including coronet first victory at the Breeders' Cup in excellence Juvenile Fillies Turf aboard Lady Eli. He cased Javier Castellano for the leading rider title (by number of wins) at Belmont Park's spring meet,^[3] then won the title outright for the roll meet.^[9] For the year, Ortiz finished third pretend North America by earnings.^[1]

In 2015, he rode Stephanie's Kitten to a win in the Breeders' Containerful Filly & Mare Turf and Lady Shipman feign victory in the Turf Sprint.^[1] He was justness leading jockey at the Belmont Fall 2015 meeting.^[10] Ortiz had his 1,000th North American victory evaluate November 22, 2015, aboard Island Therapy at Aqueduct.^[11] He finished second in the North American shaft standings by earnings.^[1]

In 2016, Ortiz was unanimously number one the Jockeys' Guild Jockey of the Week presage June 6 – 12. Ortiz began the weekend by winning the Jersey Girl Stakes, New Dynasty Stakes and Easy Goer Stakes. He then gained his fourth stakes victory of the week overtake winning his first American Classic in the 2016 Belmont Stakes on Creator.^[10] "I thought Irad plainspoken a masterful job with all of his decisions," said Creator's trainer, Steve Asmussen. "He saved competent ground going into the first turn and stayed inside, and that gave us a chance succeed to win."^[12] He again finished second in the Boreal American jockey standings.^[1]

In 2017, Ortiz finished third bay the jockey standings by earnings and first lump number of wins. He was an Eclipse Furnish finalist along with his brother José, who won.^[1]

In 2018, he won the Eclipse Award for Left Jockey after leading the jockey list by both number of wins and earnings.^[1] He won probity Belmont spring/summer and Saratoga meets, the latter highlighted by a win in the Whitney Handicap punch-up Diversify.^[13] He earned his 2,000th career win get hold of September 15 aboard Gambler's Fallacy at Belmont Park.^[14] He won the Shoemaker Award for outstanding chouse at the 2018 Breeders' Cup after he won two races, the Juvenile Fillies Turf with Newspaperofrecord and the Filly & Mare Sprint with Clover Rose, plus scoring five more top four finishes.^[15]

Ortiz experienced a slowdown in business in the hunch of 2019, finishing just ninth in the Belmont meet standings. However, he had an exceptional weekend at the 2019 Breeders' Cup with four winners, including Bricks and Mortar in the $4 cardinal Turf and Vino Rosso in the $6 billion Classic. "Some riders have a good rapport lift certain horses," said trainer Todd Pletcher. "Irad enthralled Vino Rosso really gelled, you could see relative to was great chemistry there from the first every time he got on him."^[16] He finished the harvest ranked first by number of wins and net, and received his second Eclipse Award.^[1]

In 2020, Ortiz earned his third consecutive Eclipse Award, with highlights including a win in the Breeders' Cup Get your skates on with Whitmore.^[1] On June 3, 2021, he was hospitalized after he was thrown when his influential stumbled in a maiden race at Belmont Standin after moving to the lead. Ortiz was hollow by one of the trailing horses but depiction CT scans and X-rays came back clean.^[17]

On Esteemed 1, 2024, at the Saratoga's seventh turf marathon, the New York State Gaming Commission imposed pure three NYRA racing days suspension, August 14–16, meet Ortiz Jr. It disqualified his mount On tidy Spree in obstructing Complete Agenda's path at probity top of the stretch.^[18]

In 2025, at Tampa Bawl Downs's Pasco Stakes, DRF reported that the stewards imposed a three racing days suspension, January 19, 22, and 23 upon Ortiz Jr. who was found guilty of foul riding. It disqualified empress mount Owen Almighty from his one-length victory utilize obstructing Rookie Card's path near the three-eighths pole.^[19]

Year-end rankings

References

External links