Jose Ortiz

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Following a tradition that has been in place for several years, King's Tavern across the street from Saratoga Race Course was not open for business Monday, the final day of annual summer meet. Closed on closing day. On purpose. While it may be a sad afternoon for the 22,097 patrons on the grounds for the last card of 2023, the Fitch brothers, who operate King's and the City Tavern on Caroline Street, use closing day at the track to pause a bit on Labor Day and...

Bypassing Wednesday's P. G. Johnson S. against her own sex--a race ultimately washed on to the main track--29-10 second favorite Gala Brand (Violence) bided her time at the back of a the field in a paceless renewal of Saratoga's GIII With Anticipation S., but went through her gears over the last furlong and a half and outfinished favored Carson's Run (Cupid). Drawn the fence in a field reduced to seven by the scratching of British Sea (English Channel), the flashy chestnut was content to try to save her best for...

No fewer than four of the seven 3-year-olds expected for Saturday's GI Travers S. got their final tune-ups Saturday morning, three over the Saratoga main track and one at Del Mar. Mage (Good Magic), the GI Kentucky Derby hero who figures no worse than the second betting choice behind Forte (Violence) in the 10-furlong feature, breezed three-quarters of a mile in 1:15.56 for trainer Gustavo Delgago. In what was described as a maintenance move beneath exercise rider J.J. Delgado, the son of former 'TDN Rising Star' Puca (Big Brown) went...

When Adam Rice comes to Saratoga he means business. The 32-year-old trainer and nephew of Linda Rice picked up a pair of Saratoga winners Sunday when he won the day's second race with Pennsylvania-bred Dancing Spirit (Social Inclusion). The race was for 2-year-old maiden fillies and it was run at a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the grass. It was the second career start for the 2-year-old filly, who finished second in her debut on the Tapeta surface at Presque Isle Downs. For the 32-year-old trainer, who started his first horse in Saratoga...

Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable's Forte (Violence) and Whisper Hill Farm and Gainesway Stable's Tapit Trice (Tapit), both 'TDN Rising Stars', worked in company over the main track Thursday in preparation for the GI Travers S. August 26 at Saratoga. Forte, with regular pilot Irad Ortiz, Jr. up, worked without blinkers to the outside of Tapit Trice, who was guided through the half-mile breeze by exercise rider Fernando Rivera. Both workmates stopped the clock in :48.33. "I thought both horses worked extremely well--both were moving really well and good...

Every week, the TDN publishes a roundup of key official rulings from the primary tracks within the four major racing jurisdictions of California, New York, Florida and Kentucky. Here's a primer on how each of these jurisdictions adjudicates different offenses, what they make public (or not) and where. The TDN will also post a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA) related rulings from the same week. These will include decisions from around the country.   CALIFORNIA Track: Del Mar Date: 07/27/2023 Licensee: Ed Carroll, owner Penalty:...

Brothers Irad Ortiz Jr., and Jose Ortiz will both serve three-day "careless riding" suspensions Aug. 9-11 that were imposed by the Saratoga Race Course stewards for separate infractions that involved winning rides last week. Both jockeys elected not to appeal their penalties. Irad Ortiz crossed the wire first but got disqualified aboard 1.45-1 favorite Eyes On Target (Exaggerator) in the seventh race July 27, a $25,000 claiming turf route. The Equibase chart stated that in upper stretch, his mount "was under a light drive in behind the top pair just...

When Todd Pletcher entered Miz Sense (Street Sense) in Sunday's first race at Saratoga, a maiden special weight race carded for a mile-and-a-sixteenth on the turf, he wasn't so much thinking grass. He wanted to run the Kentucky-bred in a route race, which they don't card during the Saratoga meet for 2-year-olds on the dirt. So when the race was washed off the turf course, Pletcher never hesitated to go ahead and run her in a race in which there were six scratches. It proved to be the right move....

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.  - Jockey Jose Ortiz's return to competition at Saratoga Race Course Wednesday was very rewarding with three victories...and taxing. Ortiz was unseated and fell hard to the ground when his horse clipped heels in the first race of Friday's card. He was sent to Albany Medical Center where he was found to have bruised ribs. Ortiz took off his mounts Saturday and Sunday and was ready to ride again Wednesday, the start of the third week of the meet. In his comeback, Ortiz won with three of...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - After nine days of racing, Linda Rice has already had a Saratoga season most trainers would consider a roaring success. Rice starts the third week of the meet Wednesday atop the trainers' table with 10 victories, one up on two-time defending champ Chad Brown and two ahead of Todd Pletcher, a 14-time Saratoga titlist. She is winning at a 32% clip and her 31 starters have finished in the top three 22 times, an impressive 70.9 %. How does it feel to be Linda Rice these...

by Bill Finley & Patrycja Szpyra As he often does with his 2-year-olds, trainer Wesley Ward started Sam's Treasure (Munnings) off in a grass race, in this case a five-furlong maiden on May 11 at Belmont. She finished second, 2 3/4 lengths behind the winner--Cynane (Omaha Beach) had the distinction of being her sire's first winner and made an unfruitful trip to Royal Ascot--but there was nothing about the performance to suggest that she could develop into a top horse. Maybe Ward should have been thinking dirt all along. In...

Jockey Jose Ortiz was taken to Albany Medical Center for evaluation after being dislodged from the Wesley Ward-trained Same Old Fears (Uncle Mo) as the field for race one was crossing the wire Friday at Saratoga. "Same Old Fears unseated Jose Ortiz near the finish of today's Saratoga opener," read a statement from NYRA. "Jose Ortiz was upright and alert but was transported to Albany Med for further evaluation and is off his mounts. The filly was unharmed and was provided a precautionary van ride home." Ortiz was alert and...