Jose Ortiz

Victory Racing Partners' More Than Looks (More Than Ready) has spent a fair bit of the last 16 months in the shadow cast by his talented contemporary, 'TDN Rising Star' Carl Spackler (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). In three previous head-to-head battles, the $135,000 Keeneland September graduate had finished behind his rival each time, but the quirky dark bay managed to flip the script on one of racing's biggest stages, coming with a barnstorming rally--in particular in the final 100 yards--to win Saturday's GI FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile at Del...

Returning to the site of her previous victories in the 2022 GI QE II Challenge Cup and last year's GI First Lady Stakes, Peter Brant's Gina Romantica (Into Mischief) sat an ideal trip from a close-up third in defense of her title in the latter over a fast turf course, came after pacesetting favorite Ag Bullet (Twirling Candy) just inside the eighth pole and easily held sway for the victory. Sent off the 33-10 second choice behind Ag Bullet, the surprising 5-2 market leader off a potentially anomalous victory in...

With the Angels (Omaha Beach) earned a 'TDN Rising Star' tag with her 11 1/2-length maiden romp at Saratoga going six furlongs Aug. 22. Hammered down to 1-9 in her stakes debut with one extra furlong to race Sunday, the $350,000 OBS April grad struck the front shortly after the break and showed the way ahead of Valtellina (Complexity) through fractions of :23.40 and :47.17. Given her head off the far turn, With the Angels responded well to a shake of the reins and opened up under a hand ride...

Accelerating, looking to pick up where she left off in her statebred debut win at the Spa July 26, followed up with another winning effort, taking Sunday's Seeking The Ante Stakes at Saratoga. Bobbling out of the gate, Accelerating was hustled to the front, carving out an opening quarter in :22.69. Passing the quarter pole with Central to Success stuck on her outside hip, Accelerating was urged along and the New York-bred filly responded by drawing clear to a four-length victory over Carmen's Candy Jar. "We bobbled a little bit...

Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator) gave trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. a sweep of Friday's graded events at Charles Town, leading every step of the way to successfully defend his title in the $1-million GII Charles Town Classic. Sent off the 11-10 chalk to become the fourth two-time winner and third back-to-back winner of West Virginia's richest horse race, the likeable bay was kicked straight into the lead by Jose Ortiz and dictated terms in advance of Frosted Departure (Frosted)--who was not ridden forward as is his custom--through fractions of :24.15 and :47.88. Ortiz...

Out On Bail (c, 2, Tiz the Law--Judge Lee, by Street Cry {Ire}) became the first stakes winner for his freshman sire (by Constitution) by delivering a hard-fought win in Friday's $150,000 Skidmore Stakes sprinting over the turf at Saratoga. Favored at 3-2 while facing only three rivals, the gray was always traveling nicely while racing in an outside second as Jet Sweep Joe (Frosted) showed the way. The two arrived at the quarter pole together and raced shoulder to shoulder down the stretch. After exchanging bumps close to home,...

The 2024 Churchill Downs Spring Meet leading jockey race came down to the wire on closing day Sunday with Tyler Gaffalione and Jose Ortiz tying for the most wins. Gaffalione and Ortiz shared leading rider honors with 45 wins apiece. For Gaffalione, it was his 12th Churchill Downs title as leading jockey. It was the first local championship for Ortiz, who began riding in Kentucky this spring. Luis Saez, who had 32 wins following Day 42 of the 43-day meeting, was in third place followed by Florent Geroux (22), Cristian...

Jose Ortiz rode the 3,000th winner of his career when Save the Trees (Preservationist) captured the third race at Churchill Downs Sunday. The 30-year-old, who began his riding career in his native Puerto Rico, moved to the New York circuit in 2012 where he competing against his brother, fellow leading rider Irad Ortiz, Jr. Five years later, he earned the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Jockey. Ortiz won the 2022 GI Preakness S. aboard Early Voting (Gun Runner) and the 2017 GI Belmont S. aboard Tapwrit (Tapit). He has also ridden...

It's hard to believe there are any graded stakes on the grass that have not been won by a 3-year-old filly from the barn of Chad Brown, but entering Friday's action, that was remarkably the case. Klaravich Stables' Dynamic Pricing (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) managed to put pay to that anomalous statistic with a fast-finishing victory in the GII Edgewood S. at a soggy Churchill Downs. Let go at odds of nearly 9-1--a healthy mutuel for any Brown runner--the €170,000 Tattersalls October yearling acquisition broke well enough from gate...

After the FanDuel Limestone S. was taken off the grass, Hot Beach (Omaha Beach) did not mind a wet main track one bit as she rolled home a winner at Keeneland on Friday. The dark bay began her career last summer at Ellis Park with a runner-up finish and then won the Debutante S. at the Pea Patch in mid-August. A well beaten third behind 'TDN Rising Star' V V's Dream (Mitole) in the GIII Pocahontas S. at Churchill Downs a month later, Hot Beach was last seen running second...

Unraced since fading from contention in last summer's G2 Coventry S. at Royal Ascot, FANDOM (GB) (c, 3, Showcasing {GB}--Brogan {GB}, by Pivotal {GB}) returned a winner at the same meet where he broke his maiden while under wraps last spring, taking the Palisades S. at Keeneland Sunday. Racing wide under Jose Ortiz, who was winning his third consecutive race on the card, the 7-1 shot closed with a strong late surge to get by a group of runners on the line that included MGSW No Nay Mets (Ire) (No...

The Gulfstream Park Championship Meet ended Sunday with jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr. and trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. defending their respective titles. Ortiz finished the meet with 119 winners, a mark that saw him top the rider's standings for the fifth time in the last six seasons. "It went very good for us," said Ortiz. "It means a lot to win another title here. They make me feel at home here. The owners, everybody training here, the whole organization-- security and the people who work here--they make me feel good. I...