Irad Ortiz

Facing down a heavy favorite, Disruptor (Gun Runner) was extremely game down the lane in the GIII Michelob Ultra Challenger Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Saturday. Named a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard', at second asking a little over a year ago when he graduated by 9 1/4 lengths at Gulfstream Park, Disruptor tried deeper waters in the GI Curlin Florida Derby and finished a well-beaten fifth. The chestnut took a break for the rest of the year and returned to training in early December at Todd Pletcher's...

It was a good battle on the tote and it carried over to the racetrack, as Wathnan Racing's Commandment (Into Mischief), sent away the 12-5 favorite, and 'TDN Rising Star' presented by Hagyard Chief Wallabee (Constitution)--the 29-10 second choice--locked horns in the final furlong of Saturday's GII Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park, with the slightly more experienced Commandment taking advantage of a superior trip to prevail narrowly. The victory was good for 50 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. A two-time Fasig-Tipton buyback and sold...

Repole Stable's Zany (American Pharoah) picked up where she left off in 2025, taking a somewhat oddly run renewal of the $125,000 Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs while making her seasonal return to action Saturday afternoon. Racing between fillies in the second flight of runners as her stablemate Kadabra (Good Magic) went through the opening stages in a tepid :24.89, the $350,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad was set alight at about midway by Irad Ortiz, Jr. and took the overland route into the far turn around Life of Joy (Gun...

Looking to take his career record to a perfect three wins from as many visits to the races, Chris Fountoukis's SOLITUDE DUDE (c, 3, Yaupon--After the Party, by Into Mischief) made every yard to record his second career stakes success in Saturday's Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Off to a smart beginning from the outside gate in a compact field of six, the $300,000 OBS June breezer came across his rivals but was purposely kept in about the three path, going the first couple of furlongs in a hasslefree :23.30,...

7th-GP, $70k, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 3:18 p.m. ET Epic d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro), a full-brother to the once-in-a-lifetime Rachel Alexandra, makes his first career start for Todd Pletcher going two turns over the Gulfstream lawn. He brought $1.35 million from the fledgling Las Vegas-based Epic Horses at last year's Keeneland September Yearling sale. The bay was bred in Kentucky by Dede McGehee. "He is a really good mover," the operation's advisor and CEO of Town & Country Farms Shannon Potter said at KEESEP while declining to reveal the names of...

Tappan Street (Into Mischief) will make his highly anticipated return in an allowance optional claimer going a mile at Gulfstream Park Friday. He is being aimed at the $3-million GI Pegasus World Cup Jan. 24. Last seen defeating leading Horse of the Year candidate and GI Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief) in the GI Curlin Florida Derby Mar. 29, the $1-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling was forced to miss the Derby after suffering a condylar fracture in his right front leg. Dr. Larry Bramlage performed surgery on the WinStar Farm,...

Trainer Ken McPeek picked up his fifth win in the GIII Pocahontas Stakes Saturday when Taken by the Wind (Rock Your World) blew home in style to earn the first available points on the 2026 Road to the Kentucky Oaks. Entered off a debut win on a rained-off main track at Saratoga in $75,000 maiden optional claiming company going seven furlongs Aug. 21, the 6-1 shot clearly relished the extra furlong Saturday. Speedy through the first yards but outrun out of the chute by a trio of rivals, Taken by...

Irad Ortiz, Jr., a five-time Eclipse-champion jockey and this country's leading rider by races won in each of the last eight seasons, will relocate from New York to Kentucky for the fall season. He will join a riding colony that also includes his brother Jose Ortiz, who is also represented by agent Steve Rushing. "My agent and I have talked about this for a little while now," Ortiz Jr. said. "There's a lot of business in Kentucky and the racing is really strong." The veteran reinsman had four rides on...

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., who was thrown from Mindframe (Constitution) shortly after the start of the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup Sunday at Saratoga, escaped serious injury in the incident, according to his agent, Steve Rushing. Ortiz was sent to Albany Medical Center for evaluation, and while tests were not completed, the signs were postiive at 7:30 p.m. Sunday night. "It looks like he escaped serious injury," Rushing texted Sunday evening. "We are still waiting on one more test." "He is cleared to ride," said Rushing. "We will see how...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--As Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher suspected, grass was the proper surface for Snow Face Princess (Midshipman). Two months after making her career debut on the dirt at Aqueduct, she secured a victory Wednesday in the sixth race at Saratoga, a $100,000 maiden special weight contest for 2-year-old fillies. Snow Face Princess and leading rider Irad Ortiz Jr. completed the 5 1/2 furlongs on the Mellon Turf Course in 1:02.27. Sent off as the 5-2 favorite in the field of nine, the dark bay or brown filly...

Even though Nysos (Nyquist) was 1-10 on the board, Saturday's GII San Diego Handicap was a race he didn't have to win. He sprinted in his last two starts and had never been the distance of a mile-and-a-sixteenth. He also has a couple of large gaps in his form, suggesting that trainer Bob Baffert was having a hard time keeping him together. None of that mattered in the San Diego. Flavin Prat, who flew in from Saratoga for the ride, rode a patient race and saved ground into the second...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - From her office at Barn 83 on the Oklahoma Training Track, all trainer Cherie DeVaux has to do to get a glimpse of the horse is look out the window. And she sees him, across the way, standing in his stall. "He has this big, white face looking at you," DeVaux said, and she smiles. Gets her every time. 'He' is a 2-year-old colt who goes by the name of Dr. Agne (Into Mischief). He has never run but will on Friday when he starts his...