Jose Ortiz

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...

With Saratoga opening, NYRA TV Analyst and Handicapper Andy Serling will be ultra busy over the next seven plus weeks, spending countless hours on every card as he tries to pick winners and give his viewers valuable betting advice. But he's not complaining. It's hard to imagine anyone who loves Saratoga more. To talk about the meet, Serling joined the team on this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland. Serling, who has been attending the meet on a regular basis since 1975, was the Green Group Guest of...

After a close battle with his brother through the final days of the 40-day spring/summer meet at Belmont Park, jockey Jose Ortiz secured the leading riding title on Sunday at the Belmont oval, finishing the meet just one win ahead with 59 total victories. Ortiz celebrated his 12th overall meet riding title. He was also the leading rider on the NYRA circuit in 2016, 2020 and 2021. Ortiz closed out the meet with a record of 246-59-44-38 and total purse earnings of $4,921,926, putting him at a win rate of...

'TDN Rising Star' Far Bridge (c, 3, English Channel--Fitpitcher, by Kitten's Joy) was the beneficiary of a clean trip beneath Jose Ortiz, took command in upper stretch and finished off nicely to take Saturday's GI Belmont Derby on Long Island. Less fortunate was King Power Racing's G2 Dante S. hero The Foxes (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}), whose passage more resembled a rush-hour trip on the adjacent Cross Island Parkway, but he flew home to remarkably grab second on the line from pacesetting longshot Mondego (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). Supplanted late...

Irad Ortiz, Jr., who is currently the nation's leading jockey this year in both purse winnings and victories, waived his right to appeal a three-day "careless riding suspension" imposed by the Belmont Park stewards for a June 11 stretch-run infraction that resulted in an inquiry, but no disqualification. Ortiz will sit out June 25, 30, and July 1, according to the New York State Gaming Commission ruling dated June 17. Ortiz was attempting to rally from last by coming up the inside rail aboard Federalist Papers (More Than Ready) in...

Steve Asmussen made it a 'sweep' for the 2-year-old stakes wins at Belmont Sunday with a dominating performance by Gold Sweep to not only break his maiden but stamp himself a contender for upcoming summer races. Despite missing by a just a neck when unveiled at Churchill Downs May 18, the son of Speightstown was running late and still earned a 75 Beyer Speed Figure for his losing effort.  Bet down to 4-5 breaking from an outside gate, Gold Sweep came away in good order and raced widest of the...

Klaravich Stable's Marketsegmentation (American Pharoah), loose on an easy lead, went wire-to-wire to earn her first top-level success in the GI New York S. at Belmont Park Friday. Sent off at 6-1, the lightly raced 4-year-old was looking to stretch her speed to 10 furlongs following a pair of stakes wins over 1 1/16 miles. She broke alertly and was soon at the head of affairs, setting moderate fractions of :24.56, :50.26 and 1:15.29 while kept well in hand by jockey Jose Ortiz. Finally let loose at the top of...