Irad Ortiz

Gosger (Nyquist) had been matching motors in the morning with 'TDN Rising Star' East Avenue (Medaglia d'Oro), and while the latter was a bounce-back runner-up in the GI Toyota Blue Grass Stakes this past Tuesday, the gray colt managed to go one better in Saturday's GIII Stonestreet Lexington Stakes, swinging into action off the final turn before keeping on nicely to score in his black-type and two-turn debuts. The homebred bounced alertly from stall five and was content to take up a rail-skimming position behind the leading trio of the...

Jockey Luis Saez, who was unseated during Keeneland's second race Tuesday, spent the afternoon at the UK Medical Center and was reported to be "sore" but have no broken bones according to his agent Kiaran McLaughlin. Saez was aboard 2-1 race favorite Fateful Lightning (Tapit) when he came off awkwardly at the eighth pole in the stretch run of the 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight race on the turf. Fateful Lightning was uninjured in the incident and caught by the outrider.   Just spoke with the doctor at UK said...

Mi Bago (Vekoma) completed a turf stakes double for his 2024 leading freshman sire with a powerful, all-the-way success in Saturday's Colonel Liam Stakes at Gulfstream Park. Earlier in the program, Vixen validated odds-on favoritism with a narrow victory in the GIII Herecomesthebride Stakes. The public's pick off a front-running success in a rained-off renewal of the Dania Beach Stakes, the two-time Fasig-Tipton graduate was kicked straight into the lead from an outside barrier and had his mind on running from the bell, tugging pretty hard at Irad Ortiz, Jr....

We're learning more every day about the relationship between horses and mankind and how people struggling with such things as PTSD so often thrive and recover when working closely with horses. But can it work the other way? Can a human have such a positive and calming effect on a horse that a bond and relationship develops that makes the horse prosper? In the case of GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational winner White Abarrio (Race Day) and his groom Eduardo (Lalo) Diaz, it looks like that might be the case....

"Try something different, you know? Sometimes it's good for you." Those are the words of jockey Jose Ortiz, currently in a race of his own atop the standings with 44 winners (through Thursday, Jan. 16) in his first winter riding at Fair Grounds. Jareth Loveberry is a distant second with 29 winners. A mainstay on the New York Racing Association circuit for more than a decade (he was leading rider there three times--2016, 2020 & 2021) and also a regular at Gulfstream Park's Championship Meet, the 31-year-old decided to shake...

After losing on five heavy favorites and getting disqualified from a win on a sixth, jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. would probably like to put his Saturday trip to Tampa Bay Downs behind him as soon as possible. But North America's leading rider in victories in each of the last eight years is going to have to wait until at least Wednesday to find out if the Tampa stewards are going to suspend or otherwise penalize him for his actions aboard 1-2 favorite Owen Almighty (Speightstown) in the Jan. 11 Pasco...

An early local watering hole for those 3-year-old colts who might have aspirations of heading to the GII Tampa Bay Derby in early March, it was Naughty Rascal (Rogueish) who was elevated to the top of the podium after the stewards disqualified Owen Almighty (Speightstown) in the Pasco Stakes at the northern Florida track on Saturday afternoon. As the heavy favorite, Owen Almighty and Rookie Card (Adios Charlie) engaged in a speed duel from the bell. Tabbed at 3-1, Naughty Rascal tracked closely from the second flight. At the three-eights...

6th-Gulfstream, $40,000, Msw, 12-13, 2yo, f, 1m, 1:41.21, ft, 1 1/4 lengths. RUTH (f, 2, Uncle Mo--Peppy Rafaela, by Bernardini), bet down to 3-5 favoritism for Todd Pletcher and owner/breeder Frank Batten, was a close-up third behind early pacesetter Queen in the Deck (Cairo Prince) through the opening quarter in :24.81. Fanned out widest of the group around the far turn and relegated back several slots, Ruth responded in kind to urging from jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. and found a high gear coming to the line, powering past the leader...

National Treasure (Quality Road), who gave eventual Horse of the Year Cody's Wish (Curlin) everything he could handle before going down grudgingly in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, will miss this year's event with a foot issue, Daily Racing Form reported Friday afternoon. Winner of this year's GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. and GI Metropolitan Handicap either side of a close fourth in the G1 Saudi Cup, the 4-year-old may have struggled with an off track when sixth to Arthur's Ride (Tapit) in the GI Whitney Stakes...

Making just his third start in this country, Mufasa (Chi) (Practical Joke) backed up his big-figure victory at Colonial Downs earlier this summer with an impressive performance in Saturday's 'Win and You're In' GIII Vosburgh Stakes at the Big A. Favored at 8-5 here, he traveled nicely in second through an opening quarter in :23.13, took over approaching the quarter pole and punched home with authority to defeat Scotland (Good Magic) by 4 1/4 lengths. Mufasa, an eight-time winner from 10 starts in his native Chile, including last year's G3...

Clark Brewster and William and Corinne Heiligbrodt's Cogburn (h, 5, Not This Time--In a Jif, by Saintly Look) made it a perfect three-for-three on the year with another powerhouse performance in Saturday's 'Win and You're In' $2-million GII Ainsworth Turf Sprint S. at Kentucky Downs. The even-money favorite blasted out to the front, raced under pressure while setting fast fractions of :21.82 and :44.14 and kept on motoring down the stretch to win going away by 3 1/4 lengths. Second-place finisher Khaadem (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and third-place finisher Axthelm...

Off as the 3-1 favorite in the first-ever Grade I event to be contested at Kentucky Downs, Gold Square LLC's Howard Wolowitz (Munnings) came with an irresistible run three or four off the inside at the eighth pole and turned back a late challenge from the well-backed Yellow Card (Lost Treasure {Ire}) to take out the $2-million Aristocrat Franklin-Simpson Stakes Saturday afternoon. Away alertly from his high draw, Howard Wolowitz was ridden positively by Irad Ortiz, Jr. and raced wide, but not far from Joe Shiesty (Air Force Blue), who...